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^ Short-Comings and Long-G-oings 

OB, 


THE BOYS AND GIRLS OF GLENCAIRN. 


BY 


JULIA AnEASTMAN. 



Boston : 

(PubbliaTied by LotTiTop ^ Go. 

Qover, JT. H. : G. T. Qay S( Co. 

im. 

c/ 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by 
D. LOlIIROP AND COMPANY, AND L. R. BURLINGAME, 
In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 


Rockwell & Churchill, Printers and Stercotypcra, 
122 Washington Street, Boston. 



CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER I. 

PAQB 


Helena’s Adyent 5 

CHAPTER II. 

Characters . . ’ 27 

CHAPTER III. 

^ A Lesson Taught . 43 

CHAPTER IV. 

Evening Pastimes 67 

CHAPTER V. 

Heart-Bonds 80 

CHAPTER VI. 


Crooked Things Straightened 94 

CHAPTER VII. 

The Sewing-Bee Ill 

3 


IV 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER VIII. 


Measles 


CHAPTER IX. 

Convalescence and Wisdom . 


CHAPTER X. 


Rights and Duties 

CHAPTER XI. 

The Humane Society 

CHAPTER XII. 

The Terrible Suspicion 

CHAPTER XIII. 

The Mystery Solved 

CHAPTER XIV. 


Reunion 


135 

158 


175 

199 


215 


235 

256, 




SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS; 

OR, 

THE BOYS AND GIRLS OF GLENCAIRN. 


CHAPTEE L 
Helena’s advent. 

HE favorite room at Glencairn was 

the library. Other places were the 

house. The library was " home ; 

long and narrow, its deep windows 

opened to sunrise and sunset, while north and 

south were walled in by books, save only where 

the chimney and two doors were made to face 

each other. The library was finished in oak. 

5 


6 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


The old organ, in its draped alcove at the farther 
end, and the Galatea over the mantel, were 
framed in oak. The only contrast was where 
a narrow stripe of crimson bordered curtain 
and cornice, and a bit of the same warm color 
glowed in the grate. Withal, you might have 
gone far to find a cheerier spot than the Glen- 
cairn library, in the purple twilight of an 
April day. 

''I say, Tom,” exclaimed Bob Farley, ” won’t 
Aunt Cornelia have her hands full when this 
new one gets here ? ” 

"I don’t know,” gravely responded his 
brother. " I should imagine that people of our 
age need put no great responsibility upon 
aunt, or any other person ; ” and the boy stared 
fixedly into the fire. 

"Whew! Bless my soul, Tom, how ven- 
erable we are all at once ! Sixty, at the very 
least. However, old boy — I mean, my aged 
Iriend — ” and Bob gave his brother’s ear a 
sly tweak as he strode past his chair, — " how- 


HELENA* S ADVENT. 


7 


ever, it seems papa and mamma thought it 
worth while, when they went off, to set some- 
body to matronize us youngsters.” 

" Mere matter of form 1 ” remarked Tom. 

"What of that? It’s something to add one 
to the crew, I should say;” and Bob whistled 
an interlude to his remarks. 

*'Oh, well,” sighed Tom, presently, do 
hope this little Seymour won’t prove of the 
hoydenish sort ; that’s all.” 

"Enough, I should think. And I hope she 
will, saving your presence, Tom.” 

" Of course you do. Bob. That’s your sort,” 
answered the elder in a melancholy tone. 

"My sort, is it? Thank you. Well, I mean, 
with all deference to you, I do hope she’ll be 
up to snuff ! ” 

What being "up to snuff” might be supposed 
to signify, I certainly shall not undertake to 
explain. People who don’t know by intuition 
would be no wiser after my most lucid ex- 
position. But I will whisper to you, in confi- 


8 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


dence, that these last speeches may be received 
as very tolerable exponents of the characters of 
the two Farley brothers. 

Bob went striding up and down the dusky 
room, to and fro in front of the gleaming grate, 
humming a gay air to himself as he measured off 
his distance upon the dark, polished floor, 
shoulders back, head up, life in every fiber of 
his healthy body, from the sole of his alert, 
arched foot to the top ring of his brown, 
curling hair. But Tom, sitting back among 
the shadows, showed a thin figure, with a slight 
droop of the shoulders, the sharp elbows resting 
on a big book, and the whole making no bad 
picture of the student, and the hard one that 
Tom really was. 

The twilight deepened, and the brightness 
within increased as that without grew dim. 
The after-glow threw its last, long shaft of 
golden light in at the west window, just as a 
tall, sweet-faced girl entered the library, and 
stood in front of the grate. 


HELENA* S ADVENT. 


9 


” I say, Belle, do you know anything about 
these Seymours?” And Bob paused in his 
walk, standing beside his sister and playing 
with her fingers. 

"I remember very little. Bob. I know when 
Mrs. Seymour died, three or four winters ago, 
that mamma told me some things about them.” 

"Well, here’s Tom been hoping that this 
Jittle one’ll be slow, and here’s your servant 
been hoping she won’t ! So I suppose there’s 
nothing for it but to wait till the creetur gets 
here, an’ then each one see for himself! ” 

" Creetur ! ” 

This ejaculation came from the dusky corner 
whither the elder brother had retired. 

" Of course. Why not? Brief, anyhow ! ” 

It was the unhappy truth that these two boys, 
although fond of each other in a brotherly way, 
were also antagonistic in a brotherly way ; and 
nothing roused the antagonism of either like the 
criticism of the other. 


10 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


'^But, seriously, Belle, do you imagine we’re 
goiug to get any fun out of her ? ” 

'' Seriously, Bob, if you’ll take the trouble to 
remember what has happened to the Seymour 
family lately, you won’t look for much ^ fun ’ to 
begin with.” 

Belle’s voice was very sweet and gentle, and 
either the tone or the suggestion impressed her 
brother, for he answered : — 

” That’s a fact ! I forgot about her father’s 
death ! Oh, well, there’ll be so much the more 
need of cheering her up then ; ” and there was 
real pity in the boy’s tone. 

Tenty, the house-keeper, cook, and factotum 
at Glencairn, was fond of saying that " Master 
Bob’s heart was in the right place, after all ; ” 
which ” after all ” was known to refer to a spirit 
of fun, a tendency to mischief, which this boy, 
like many another, was in danger of carrying 
too far. 

"Oh, here comes Aunt Cornelia! Aunty, 
you’re the identical person, of all flesh, wanted 


Helena’s advent. 


11 


here this minute. Allow me ! ” With which 
the youth handed his aunt to a seat, made a 
profound obeisance, and then flung himself upon 
the sofa at her side. 

”Now will you enlighten us about these 
Seymours? We’re all benighted pagans con- 
cerning them. Everybody remembers papa’s 
telling something of them, and nobody knows 
exactly what.” 

"Hold on, and give aunty a chance, can’t 
you?” growled Tom; and Bob twirled his 
thumbs in mock humility, while Mrs. Mather 
said : — 

"I only know that this Mr. Seymour, who 
has just died, was an old friend of your father.” 

"They were in college together, weren’t 
they, aunty?” asked Belle, who had taken the 
other seat beside Mrs. Mather. 

" Yes, I believe so ; and the acquaintance, or 
friendship rather, has been continued. Mr. 
Seymour was a lawyer, and an eminent one too. 


12 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


Brother Tom writes that few lawyers in the 
city had a wider reputation.” 

"Oh, I remember now ! ” cried Bob, suddenly 
stopping in his endeavor to make a cat’s-cradle 
out of his aunt’s silk watch-chain. "I re- 
member papa’s taking me once to Mr. Sey- 
mour’s office on Wall Street. That was the 
time when I persisted in taking my skates, Belle, 
to * skate in the fields of New York,’ as I main- 
tained.” 

There was a smile at Bob’s reminiscence, and 
the lady went on : " Then I have a charming 

recollection of a short visit from Mr. and Mrs. 
Seymour on their wedding tour. Such a 
sprightly little creature as she was, with great 
blue eyes, an apple-bloom color, and fair hair 
down to her waist ! But fashionable life was 
too much for her. She died some years since, 
a poor, broken-down woman, raving all through 
her last illness, I’ve been told, of the green hills 
of her old New England home.” 

" And she left two children ? ” 


HELENA* S ADVENT, 


13 


” Three. One of them, the youngest, has 
died since the mother.” 

"Poor little Helena!” said Belle, softly. 
" How much sorrow she must have had I ” And 
Tom, from his retirement, was heard to wonder 
" if the beauty had come down to this genera- 
tion.” 

" IVe never been told about that ; but I am 
afraid the frail constitution has fallen to the 
daughter.” 

" Oh, me ! I do trust we’re not going to have 
an invalid in the family. That would be too 
much for my nerves. I should certainly go 
distracted.” 

"Me,” "I,” and "my,” — Tom emphasized 
very strongly these pronouns of the first person. 
He was inclined to do it. This particular pro- 
noun was a vastly important one to Tom Sey- 
mour. Ah, well-a-day I to which of us is it 
not ? 

"Heigh-ho!” yawned Bob. "Wonder where 
papa and mamma are to-night.” And he rose, 


14 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


strolling towards the east window, which looked 
out upon the moonlit lawn. 

"Halloo! There’s the railroad carriage, as 
I’m a living sinner ! I believe they’ve come ! ” 

At this instant a bell rang sharply, and two 
dark figures were discerned coming up the steps 
of the veranda. Mrs. Mather had not expected 
her guests before the morning; but, without 
delay, the door of the library was thrown open, 
and an elderly man entered. This was Judge 
Kinsley, the associate guardian with Mr. Farley 
of the Seymour children, — a tall, portly man, 
with silver-gray hair, and silver-gray side-whis- 
kers, sweeping away to right and left from his 
bland face. Close behind, and nearly under 
the shadow of this broad form, a young girl, 
in deep mourning garments, crept wearily into 
the room, and stood in the fire-light. There was 
just time for a word of greeting, just a moment 
for a glimpse of a white face, eyes downcast, 
and a quantity of light hair; and then Aunt 


HELENA^ S ADVENT, 


15 


Cornelia had led the tired stranger away to the 
regions above stairs. 

I will not be questioned to-night, ” cried 
Mrs. Mather, playfully stopping her ears, as 
she was assailed with a volley of interrogations 
on coming down again. 

"Do let the poor child sleep in peace one 
night ! To-morrow you shall have an opportunity 
to see for yourselves.” And Mrs. Mather hast- 
ened away to spend the rest of that evening in 
close consultation with Judge Kinsley. 

Upon the Susquehanna E-iver, twenty miles 
from the point where that stream flows into 
Pennsylvania from New York, lies the village of 
Eastburne. 

The bluflfe which, higher up the river, stand 
with their rocky feet in the water, have drawn 
back here for a mile on either side, and sit look- 
ing down upon the sheltered intervale along 
which the streets of the town are built. Fol- 
lowing a wooded road for a mile west from the 
river, you come to Glencairn. The house was 


16 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


a queer, rambling old pile of stone, which looked 
as though it might have grown out of the gray 
bluff behind it. Within, there were plenty of 
low, quaint rooms, where you were always com- 
ing upon angles and arches, niches and closets, 
steps up and steps down in places where you 
least expected them, and where there was the 
obscurest reason possible for committing such 
eccentricities of architecture. 

Everywhere the house wore a comfortable, 
easy-going, hospitable look. There was just 
enough of everything, and not too much. That 
there was wealth here was easy to be seen. But 
there was none of that gloomy magnificence, — 
none of that forbidding state which, in some 
houses, makes the very furniture seem formida- 
ble, and suggests an idea of personal enmity in 
connection with every chair in the parlor. 

At Glencairn, everything had such an in- 
viting look, as though if the master asked you 
home to dinner the dining-room would be 
glad to see you. The very walls smiled 


Helena" s advent. 


17 


benignantly down upon you, as if they would 
say : — 

" We have lived through many a merry Christ- 
mas, many a glad New Year. We have 
gazed down on the sweet faces of so many happy 
brides, so many loving and loved young mothers, 
so many old people with silver hair, sitting 
in the twilight of their days, — waiting. Oh! 
we’ve seen a deal of life, we old walls 1 ” 

I think it was . something of this kind which 
whispered itself to Helena Seymour, as she sat 
on a low seat in the library, on the morning 
after her arrival at Glencairn. 

Those who had entered the breakfast-room 
early that morning, had found a well-grown girl 
of fourteen, dressed in mourning, standing in the 
bay window, and gazing out upon the lawn, 
where the Scotch larches were just feathering 
out in green. The most noticeable feature about 
the stranger was her eyes. 

” Actually,” was the testimony of Belle Farley, 

as herself and Bob were comparing impressions 
2 


18 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


after breakfast, ”I almost cried out in amaze- 
ment when she lifted up her eyes at me ! ’’ 

" Why ? Because they were so large ? 

”Yes. Large, and so dark, — almost black. 
Of course, with her fair hair, I expected light 
eyes, blue or gray.” 

'' Or green,” put in Bob, one of whose pet 
theories was, that many eyes which passed as 
blue and gray were green. 

"Yes, green, if you will; but did you notice 
that the lashes and eyebrows are dark like the 
eyes ? ” 

" I don’t know. To tell the truth, I was just 
a bit afraid of her,” said Bob, frankly. 

And indeed there was that in Helena Seymour 
which impressed strangers in this way, — a 
touch of that quiet dignity which was more than 
a trick of manner, for the real dignity of char- 
acter lay behind and below it. And thus she 
stood there, that morning, a girl whom we are 
to see much, and, consequently, are interested 
in. A bright, spirited, conscientious girl, with 












Helena's advent. 


19 


quick impulses, — too quick, sometimes, for 
her own comfort, and that of her friends, — but 
genuine, every whit. The real stuff of which 
women are made, — true, stanch, loving 
women, — provided only they are not spoiled by 
some awkward handling of those to whom the 
Master has committed them. 

It was ten o’clock, and Tom and Bob, with 
Belle on the back seat, had driven into the vil- 
lage to school. Helena was to go with them 
soon, but there must first come, a day or two of 
rest and settlement. 

' • Miss Helena, would you like to go into the 
garden, and up the glen with me?” 

This was Florence, who stood in the library 
door, speaking to Helena, — Florence, the Glen- 
cairn youngest, a tanned, merry, mischievous lit- 
tle puss, whose laughing eyes gleamed out from 
underneath her straw hat, fixing upon the stran- 
ger a glance brimful of mirth and curiosity. 

” Here’s your hat. Aunty sent it down to 
you.” 


20 


SnORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


"And my gloves, too? Did Mrs. Mather 
send those ? ” 

"Your gloves? Oh, no, indeed ! We don’t 
wear gloves up the glen. Don’t you know?” 
And a merry laugh rang out. 

Helena did not know, for her previous ac- 
quaintance with the country had been at New- 
port, or Saratoga, or some similar place, and 
she had little notion of the real country. 

"Come, then;” and Florence took her new 
friend by the hand. Aunty had bidden her 
show the wonders of Glencairn to the stranger, 
and she magnified her office amazingly. 

"Don’t step into that water, please,” cau- 
tioned the little guide ; and she next piloted her 
charge away from a stone in the path. 

"How old are you. Flossy?” asked Helena, 
as the two climbed the steep, rocky path. 

"I am seven. How old are you?” very 
quickly. 

"I am fourteen.” 

"I’m seven years old, and you’re fourteen. 


HELENA* S ADVENT, 


21 


You’re just twice as old as I am ! Now you’ll 
always be just twice as old as I am, won’t you?” 
cried Florence, delighted at her new discovery 
in arithmetic. Having made it, nothing would 
turn her from the idea until she came to an 
object which required explanation. 

'' There ! Do you see that big pile of stones 
up there ? ” 

'' The one with the white-stemmed tree grow- 
ing on it ? ” 

"Yes. Well, Belle told me, — Belle’s my 
sister ; mebby you saw her at breakfast, — 
Belle told me that that was the thing that gran’- 
papa named our place after. ’Cause there’s a 
country off somewhere, where they call a big 
pile o’ stones like that, a cairn I ” 

" Is it Scotland? ” 

"Oh, yes. You know about it, don’t you?” 

The quick glance which flashed up from Flos- 
sy’s eyes at Helena was mingled with respect 
as well as curiosity now. It was something to 
be leading around a stranger who knew about 


22 


SnORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


cairns and Scotland, to say nothing of being 
twice as old as herself. 

"Belle and I think,” went on the child, "that 
it was funny to name a place after a pile o’ 
stones. There are lots o’ prettier things here. 
Sherry Van’s father, — Sherry is my intimate 
friend, — Sherry’s place is Vesper Cliff. That’s 
such a sweet name,” said Florence, sentimen- 
tally. 

"And Glencairn is a nice name, and a nice 
place,” added Helena, for she had never seen 
shade and 'green sward like this before. 

They had climbed now to the top of the glenf 
and were leaning against the railing, listening 
to the sound of running water which came up 
from the bottom of the ravine. Between the 
upright trunks of the trees, they could see a 
blue line of hills away in the distance. Close 
by were some white birches, and Flossy was 
again amused and perplexed by Helena’s in- 
quiring " who had been out there to whitewash 
the tree trunks.” 


HELENA" S ADVENT. 


23 


« Why, they grow so ! They’re just as God 
made ’em, only there where Bob carved all our 
initials.” 

The children, sauntering about, came upon 
some May-flowers, the first of the season. 
Stooping to pull them, Helena felt some thing 
soft and sleek glide out from under her fingers, 
and saw a gray coat flash off among the low 
leaves, then a beautiful squirrel darted up a 
near beech. 

” Oh, if I only had him in a cage ! ” cried 
Flossy. "I’ll have Bat set a trap for him.” 

"Oh, no, you wouldn’t shut him up. Flossy !” 
exclaimed Helena. "We had one once at 
home. And he wore the fur all off his tail, 
running around his cage, and by and by the 
poor thing wound his throat up in some fine 
silk threads one evening, and strangled. Poor 
Jimmy ! ” and Helena looked sad enough, think- 
ing, not of Jimmy merely, but of the old home 
darkened and the dearjanes gone. 


24 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONO-GOINGS. 


”Auut Cornelia said this was your home 
now.” 

"Yes.” 

" And will your mother come here too ? ” 

"I haven’t any mother, Flossy.” 

" Didn’t you have one ever ? ” 

"Yes. I kissed her good-night once, and I 
never saw her again ; ” and Helena closed her 
lips tightly. Something in her face caused 
Flossy to undertake again, more zealously than 
ever, her oflSce of entertainer. 

"O Helena! We little girls all have gods, 
and we come out here in the woods and build 
churches to ’em ! ” 

" Gods ! Churches ! Why, Flossy, what do 
you mean?” exclaimed Helena, wondering into 
what pagan hands she had fallen. 

"Well, we do I Just as true as I’m alive I 
Pen Tyler, and Sherry, though she’s ever and 
ever so much older ; but Sherry makes beautiful 
temples ! ” 

Aunt Cornelia could by no possibility have 


HELENA" S ADVENT, 


25 


devised a more successful arrangement for en- 
tertaining the stranger, or for driving away the 
vapors which are apt to collect about new 
comers and new places. Flossy’s conversa- 
tional powers were absolutely without limit, and 
seated upon the settle, hewn out of the old 
rock, Helena listened while Florence explained 
all the relations of the family and the neighbor- 
hood in detail, — how Pen Tyler had been to 
Europe, and had a big doll, and her name was 
Bavaria, "because, you know. Pen’s papa bought 
the dolly in a city, and Pen took her the very 
first time up in the head of a big image, and 
named the doll after the image ; ” how Pen went 
to the city with her name, Florence, and how she 
liked it better than any other city, because they 
had the best fried pudding there. And her 
friend could talk in French, and said " Com-my 
vou porty vou,” for "How do you do?” and 
when she made a mistake she called it a " fore 
paw,” which it took all Helena’s French to 
interpret as a faux jpas. But Pen didn’t know 


26 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


everything ! There was one comfort, at least. 
For she certainly did say Polly and Dinah, for 
Apollo and Diana, when they were building 
their temples. And — 

" Oh, there they come ! ” she cried ; and 
Helena, looking down the rocky, wooded path, 
saw, climbing it, Mrs. Mather, with Bob and 
Hector in attendance. 

Aunt Cornelia ' explained the matter of the 
churches by telling Helena that the children 
had been taught a few facts in mythology, and 
were making an application of them on’ that 
wise. 

But I must stop it, if it’s going too far ! 
We shall literally have altars under every green 
tree,” said Mrs. Mather, while Flossy ran away 
to coax Bob to give her a ride on his shoul- 
der. 



CHAPTEK II. 

CHARACTEKS. 

OU never can get along with me in 
the world, Mrs. Mather! IVe got 
an awful temper I ” 

It was only the second day after 
Helena’s arrival at Glencairn, and she had just 
met Aunt Cornelia in the upper hall. It was 
the first time the two had found themselves 
entirely alone together. The young girl stood 
quite still and straight before Mr^. Mather as 
she spoke these words, and the latter, however 
much she might have been at first inclined to 
smile at so singular a salutation, saw, at a glance 
at the face before her, that the matter was no 
laughing one to Helena. 



27 


28 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


” How do you know, dear, about your awful 
temper?” and Mrs. Mather took Helena’s hand 
kindly. 

"Oh, I’ve always known about it. I don’t 
need anybody to tell me. Besides, before I 
came here. Miss Titcomb said you’d never be 
able to get on with me, possibly, — that no 
human being ever could.” 

It was evident that the girl felt in candor 
compelled to tell these things, to prevent mis- 
understanding. 

"And who, pray, was Miss Titcomb? Come 
into my room, and tell me about her.” For 
Mrs. Mather had led the stranger along the hall 
to the door of her own room, where she stood 
with her toes on the threshold, waiting an invi- 
tation to enter. 

"Miss Titcomb said I wasn’t to enter rooms 
unless I was asked,” she said, with a quaint 
mixture of simplicity and humor. "Miss Tit- 
comb? Well, you see she was our house- 
keeper. We had two of ’em ! ” 


CHARACTERS. 


29 


” Suppose you were to sit down,” suggested 
Mrs. Mather, as she took her sewing, and as 
Helena continued pacing up and down, twisting 
and untwisting her fingers behind her back. 
"Bob calls this my confessional;” and aunty 
pointed to a low stool in the window beside 
her. 

"Then you’ll have me there pretty often,” said 
the girl, frankly; "for I do lots of things I’ve 
no business to do, and I shall be coming to get 
you to help me undo them, — if I may.” 

" Always ; but about Miss Titcomb, and the 
other ? ” 

"Why, the other was Miss Averill, and we 
loved her so much, Harry and I ! And she had 
the loveliest hair, and smiled so sweetly ! And 
she had a kind of grand way with her, and 
Harold used to call her * Queen Dido,’ after 
that princess in Latin. Then Miss Titcomb — 
Oh, dear me ; well, she was more than six feet 
tall, I verily believe, and we said she was 
Hinked sweetness long drawn out,’ and she’d 


30 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


had a felon on her thumb, and she hadn’t a bit 
of an air ! ” 

” Poor Miss Titcomb ! ” sighed Aunt Cornelia. 

So you disliked her because she had the mis- 
fortune to have had a felon on her thumb, and 
was tall, and hadn’t a bit of an air? A very sad 
character, wasn’t she ? ” 

"Now I don’t mean that, you know,” said Hel- 
ena, with a tone of mock provocation. 

"Oh, don’t you?” asked Mrs. Mather, dryly. 

" No’m. If she’d been ever so ugly, we might 
have loved her ; for we loved old Nurse Twining, 
and she was as ugly as you can think. But Miss 
Titcomb was for ever so miserable ! And all 
the world was going to the bad ; and then she 
drew great big sighs every time we laughed, 
and pulled down the corners of her mouth like a 
new moon, and she had so many times of being 
'nervous,’ Mrs. Mather. What is the reason 
that, when we young ones are cross, we’re cross, 
and when grown-ups are out o’ sorts, why, then 
they’re ' nervous,’ and send for the doctor?” 


CHAHACTEBS. 


31 


Aunt Cornelia smiled at this new exposition 
of moods, while Helena added : — 

”Oh, but sister Titcomb was so* awfully 
'good’!” 

"You don’t like good people, then?” 

I’m really afraid I don’t ^ ” 

;"Do you like bad ones?” 

/" I’m afraid I do ! ” and the girl shook her 
head comically. "Well, I will tell you! 
There’s a kind of good folks that I can’t bear. 
Folks that are so good that all the rest of the 
world are awfully bad, and the earth is a dread- 
ful place to live in, and yet they groan when 
ever anything is said about getting out of it.” 

" Now let me hear of the kind you do like.” 
"Oh, I like people who have a nice time, and 
make other folks have a nice time. Now, there 
was Miss Averill, — she was good too, but it 
wasn’t that way. She used to talk about all 
good things, and never drawdown her face, or 
be solemn a bit. And, really, Harry and I used 
to talk it over, and conclude that it wouldn’t be 


32 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


SO dreadful to be pious if we could be happy, 
and make other folks happy, as Miss Averill 
did.” 

''And did Miss Averill tell you about your 
temper ? ” 

"Yes’m, sometimes. Only, somehow, I wasn’t 
so bad with her. But she told me it was so 
selfish to make other people suffer just because 
I couldn’t control myself. And she used to 
make me so ashamed of myself! Oh, you 
don’t know I And I really think I was a better 
girl when she was around ! ” 

" And Miss Averill was good, wasn’t she ? ” 

'*Yes, indeed, she was, Mrs. Mather!” very 
earnestly. " But good people are apt to be so 
poky ! ” and Helena looked up quickly, sur- 
prised that Mrs. Mather appeared less shocked 
than she had anticipated. 

" I think I understand you.” 

That was all. Indeed, Aunt Cornelia remem- 
bered too well her own impetuous childhood, to 
be surprised at any developments of this kind in 


CHARACTERS. 


33 


a bright, thinking girl. She could recollect, 
very plainly, when she was half afraid to be 
amiable, lest she should be confounded with one 
or two dull girls of her acquaintance, whose 
amiability she knew to be merely stupidity. 
Therefore it was not a bow drawn at a venture, — 
not a random arrow which she sent with the 
words : — 

"But, my child, it is the greatest weakness 
not to be able to rule ourselves ! ” 

"Weakness!” Helena thought, but did not 
say. 

" The more we get command over ourselves, 
the more we can influence other people.” 

Influence I Helena liked to feel that she car- 
ried influence. Are there not other bright, 
spirited girls, who like to feel their power, 
who will be surprised, as she was, to be told 
that it is a very weak person who can not con- 
trol herself ? 

" But, Helena, you were going to tell me about 

your home.” Mrs. Mather very well knew that 
3 


34 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONQ^GOINGS. 


she had dropped the seed of much thought ; aud 
she was too wise a woman to smother it in a mul- 
titude of words. Therefore she turned the sub- 
ject directly. ” I want to hear about that brother 
of yours, and your father, and all these last 
days ; ” and thus the acquaintance went on. 

One peculiarity at Glencairn was the private 
rooms. Every person was allowed the exercise 
of his own preference in the arrangement of his 
own apartment. And therefore you knew, the 
instant you stepped over a threshold, what indi- 
vidual occupied that chamber, whether it was 
by Tom’s book-case and long study-table, or 
Bob’s Japanese sword and stuffed crows. 

Aunt Cornelia’s room was quite as character- 
istic of herself as any in the house. ”The 
portico chamber ” was the name it went by, and 
the space over the portico was thrown into it, 
making a broad, deep bow-window, which 
threw 'in a flood of light. One side of the room 
was occupied by a large, old-fashioned bed- 
stead, rejoicing in four tall posts, and in flowing 


CHARACTERS, 


35 


muslin curtains. These posts Flossy had espe- 
cially honored last autumn, by placing at their 
foot four jars of morning-glories. As it had 
been a fancy very dear to the child’s heart, they 
had been permitted to remain there. And, 
singularly enough, the plants seemed to be en- 
tirely in sympatty with the movement, and had 
flourished surprisingly; flinging abroad their 
lusty sprays right vigorously, and hanging the 
white draperies with clusters of blue, pink, and 
purple bloom, all winter long. 

The bow-window was a little retreat of itself. 
Here stood Aunt Cornelia’s sewing-chair, her 
little stand with' her Bible, her Thomas a Kem- 
pis, and her Bogatsky; and, besides, a few 
pots of plants. She had her own fancies in 
regard to plants, had this dear Aunt Cornelia. 
In order to be entitled to a place in her collec- 
tion, there must be either fragrance or associa- 
tion. No hideous cactus, repulsive with 
prickles, and grotesque with sprawling, angular 
stalks; no cabbage-leafed bignonia, did her 


36 


SHORT-COMIUGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


hands tend and treasure. But a rose or two, 
with creamy buds and pointed foliage, sonie 
delicate heliotrope, or, best of all, some brown 
little quaker of a mignonette, made her room 
redolent of summer all winter through. No 
morning was so cold, no afternoon so dark, that 
Mrs. Mather could not show you some bright 
bit of bloom. And thus it was that her room 
was a delight to every member of the house- 
hold. Of course it was not the flowers simply. 
There was a picture here, or a piece of bronze 
there, a vase, a bracket, or a carving ; and 
to every one there was attached some story 
with which the mistress of the room whiled away 
many a pleasant hour. 

A pony carriage, plain and uncovered, the 
girls with the books behind, boys and baskets 
in front, the pony trotting briskly over the 
shaded' "tibbon road,’’ — as Flossy called the 
strip of grass in the middle, the road which 
led from Glencairn to Eastburne, — this was 


CHARACTERS. 


37 


such a going to school as Helena had known 
nothing about. 

"At home,” she said, answering Belle’s ques- 
tion, — "at home we used to go in the horse- 
cars. I used to call for Puss Birdsall, and Mrs. 
Birdsall — she was funny — would peer into 
my basket, and wonder if Miss Titcomb knew I 
carried cheese to school for lunch ? ” 

"Didn’t Mrs. Birdsall approve of cheese? ” 

"No, or Puss wouldn’t have carried hers in 
her pocket, done up in her handkerchief ; ” and 
Helena described the early horse-cars, loaded 
with business men and working women, the 
shouts, the smell of coal, smoke, and gas. 

"We were afraid you wouldn’t like here; it 
must be so different.” 

"Why, yes. Belle, it is different, and that 
was home, and I lilted it. But this is so 
lovely ! ” and she looked out where the sun 
gleamed on the waters of the river along which 
lay the last half mile of their road. 

"There’s the parsonage. You’ve seen Dr. 


38 


SnORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


Clintock ; ” and Belle pointed to an old, gambrel- 
roofed house, standing back in a shaded yard. 

" Yes, Helena, and you may prepare yourself 
for an extensive acquaintance there,” said Bob. 
'' Do you see those small people ? ” pointing with 
his whip to half-a-dozen children, in the felicity 
of mud pies. 

*'Yes, indeed,” said Helena, smiling at 
them. 

" Well, that’s about quarter of ’em.” 

"Bob!” 

"I don’t care. Belle. It’s a fact, anyhow. 
There’s a real patriarchal household. But, 
bless me ! We’ve got to hurry.” 

" O Bob I Don’t whip David . so I ” cried 
Belle, as the pony sprang forward under a 
smart stroke. 

" Fudge ! Only tickled him a little. What 
shall I do? Speak to him? Arouse thy lazy 
legs, thou snorting child of Araby I Is that the 
tune? Really, though, this creetur ought to 
have a pension from the Education Society.” 


CHARACTERS. 


39 


Why, for taking you to school ? ” 

"Certainly. Why, Helena, youVe no notion 
of the times we went through last winter, and 
the drifts. But here we are ! ” 

Bob sprang to the ground and lifted out the 
two girls in front of a large building, with tall 
white pillars, which stood in an old grove. The 
ground was worn white and hard by the feet 
whose play-ground it was, and here a score of 
girls were busy at croquet, or in swinging, as 
the Farleys came. Two or three of these 
stepped forward to greet Belle and meet the 
stranger. But the greater part stopped their 
game and stood still to examine her, the result 
of which was that every mother’s daughter of 
them could have described, five minutes later, 
every article and detail of Helena’s dress, from 
the buttons on her boots to the ribbons on her 
black hat. 

" Good-morning, Mary ! ” said Belle. " Hele- 
na, this is my friend, Mary Agnew.” And 


40 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


a modest-faced girl, in a brown frock, came 
to shake hands with Helena. 

She was afterwards duly embraced by Sherry 
Van, Flossy’s ” intimate friend,” — not a little 
girl, but a very tall one of fifteen years ; and a 
small, over-dressed miss, introduced as Bernie 
Ashton, retreated a few steps, and swept an 
elaborate courtesy, whereby she meant to im- 
press Helena exceedingly. 

” It made me think,” the latter young woman 
confided to Belle, that night after they went up 
stairs, "of the bows we were taught to make 
when we went to dancing-school.” 

" Have you been to dancing-school ? ” 

"Yes, indeed! For two seasons. Haven’t 
you?” 

"No. Mamma doesn’t think it best for us to 
go. There are no nice schools here, and even 
if there were, I doubt if we should 2:0.” 

" We went to Dupree’s, Harold and I. Dupr 6 
is the queerest little old man, in a wig, and 
white stock, and black clothes, like a minister. 


CHARACTERS. 


41 


We always had a reception at the end of school, 
and all the mothers came, and sat round, and 
had cake and ices.” 

" Dear me ! how many things you know about 
that I don’t exclaimed Belle, whose life thus 
far had been spent entirely in the country. 

There are the concerts, and lectures, and 
operas ! ” 

"Yes, and you’re a perfect Solomon com- 
pared with me I Actually, I blushed ’way up 
into my hair and down to the ends of my nails, 
this morning, just to tell Mrs. Loring what a 
goose I was.” 

"Oh, well, perhaps we can help each other, 
then.” 

"Gk)od!” 

" You’ve seen people, and I know books ! 
Won’t it be nice? ” 

" Nice for me, certainly ! ” and Helena ran 
off to write an account of the day’s performances 
to her brother, while Belle slipped away to 
have a quiet chat with Aunt Cornelia. 


42 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


You did not notice Belle Farley so much at 
first. You only saw a slender, dark girl of 
sixteen, with something wonderfully gentle in 
voice and manner. That was all. But shortly 
you began to notice that everything ran along 
more smoothly after she came ; that there was 
quite likely to be a friction of some sort among 
the children after she went. Was there any 
disagreeable duty to be done? While the rest 
were hesitating. Belle stole quietly away and 
did it. Was it the question, who should have 
the pleasant seat inside, and ride with the 
driver, or ride backwards, or not ride at all? 
Before you knew it, every one was seated, and 
Belle, smiling and unconscious, was in the un- 
desirable place. And then, best of all, nobody 
ever heard her say afterwards, ” I did it.” And 
that was a great deal. For if any of you have 
learned to do a good thing, and never after- 
wards to lisp it, you can close my book now 
and here. You are quite beyond any teaching 
of mine. 



CHAPTEE III. 

A LESSON TAUGHT. 



PEIL had given place to May. The 
innumerable feathers of the Scotch 
larch had expanded into one gigan- 
tic plume of soft verdure ; the red 
maple had flung its corals broadcast over the 
greensward, and the green maple had hung out 
aloft its million tiny pendants, like censers 
swaying in the fragrant air. The lawn at Glen- 
cairn was so densely wooded as to be almost a 
grove ; and now every tree and shrub became a 
center of sweetness and music. 

Helena had been a fortnight at Glencairn, 

when Mrs. Mather was startled, one sunny 

morning, as she sat at the open window of her 

43 


44 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


own room, by hearing a quick step on the stair, 
and along the upper hall some thing very like 
a sob, and then the door of Helena’s room closed 
with a loud report. It was an hour later that 
there came a tap at Aunt Cornelia’s door, and a 
low voice asked : — 

” May I come in ? ” 

" Certainly, dear. Here’s your seat ready for 
you ; ” and Mrs. Mather drew the stool closer to 
herself. 

"Well, I’ve done it, aunty!” she said. 
" J ust what I told you I should I ” 

"Have done what?” asked Aunt Cornelia, 
quietly. 

"Gotten into a passion, — an awful passion.” 

" And now you’re going to tell me all about 
it?” said Mrs. Mather, kindly, drawing close 
to the girl and trying to make her confession 
easier. 

" It was Bat I ” • 

"Bat?” 

"Yes’m.” 


A LESSON TAUGHT. 


45 


Bat was a slow, stupid Irishman, who served 
as gardener and coachman at the Glen. 

" And what did Bat do, pray ? ” 

"I will tell you. You see it was an hour ago, 
or so, I don’t Know precisely. But I was down 
in the garden, sauntering about, and thinking 
how nice it all was, when, all at once, I heard 
the most horrible noise, — somebody swearing 
and striking, and a dog whining. And I opened 
the little side gate, and stepped out towards the 
carriage-house, and there was Bat beating Hec- 
tor with a club, just as hard as he could. 

” Oh ! ” and Aunt Cornelia’s brow knotted. 

"Yes, it was outrageous. And I spoke, but 
he was going on too fiercely to listen, and down 
came the club again, hard enough^to kill the 
dog, it seemed to me.” 

"And you?” 

"I forgot that I was a girl, — forgot that I 
was going to control my temper, ^ forgot every- 
thing ! 'And I just jumped up off the ground 
and struck Bat with my fist as hard as I could ! 


46 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


Bat stopped then, and I tried to speak ; but I 
choked, and trembled all over, I was so mad. 
By and by I managed to ask what he was doing 
that for, and he said : — 

" ' The spalpeen ! He’s ben a-runnin’ away. 
I’ll tache him ! ’ ” 

” But is that going to stop it ? ” I asked ; ” and 
just that minute poor old Hector dragged him- 
self up and licked my hand ; and then the first 
I knew, I was just down on the ground, with 
my head in his curly coat, crying.” 

" Well, my dear, that wasn’t so bad, was 
it?” 

'' No ; perhaps not ! But it was so foolish in 
me to scold poor Bat for doing just what I did, 
— getting ^angry. That was all that ailed 
him.” 

"And he struck one brute, and you struck 
another, I suppose you would say,” said Aunt 
Cornelia, smiling. "But what did Bat do 
then?” 

" When I cried ? I believe he was more im- 


A LESSON TAUGHT, 


47 


pressed by the tears than by the blow. He 
blurted out, ' Ochone, Miss Say more I ’ and 
stood gaping at me, with his hat on the back of 
his red head, and his feet a yard apart.” 

The truth was that the man had been really 
struck dumb with fright at the sight of the little 
pale, quivering apparition which had burst upon 
him from the garden gate. But he was quite 
at his wit’s end at the sight of weeping, and 
hardly knew what was expected of him in such 
a position, Helena, however, had wiped her 
tears after a little, saying : — 

'' I want to tell you. Bat, I’m sorry I was so 
angry with you. I don’t know but dogs have to 
be punished sometimes.” 

"Indade, mim, an’ ye niver said a thruer 
thing.” 

” But, Bat, you had better let Master Tom do 
it, if it must be done. And I tell you, I would 
rather stand and take every blow myself than 
to see Hector take it. Dear old fellow ! ” and 
Helena treated the dog to a heai-ty embrace, 


48 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


which he, brute that he was, had the sense to 
appreciate. But he cast vengeful looks at his 
tormentor. 

”Och, now, Miss Saymore ! It’s only a dog 
ye’re a-takin’ on about. Nothin’ but a dog, at 
all, at all.” 

” Nothing but a dog! He’s the dearest old 
dog, and he has been here so many years I 
And he saved Flossy from being drowned once ; 
and. Bat, I should almost as soon think of strik- 
ing Mrs. Mather herself! You will be careful, 
won’t you. Bat?” 

" Indade, miss, but I will, though ; ” and 
there was a gleam of new intelligence in the 
man’s eyes. Comparing Bat and Hector, the 
dog had decidedly the advantage in the matter 
of eyes. Stolid as the Irishman was, I suppose 
it never had dawned on his torpid mind before, 
that dumb creatures had any rights which he 
was bound to recognize. He watched Helena 
as she flitted out of sight, muttering : — 


A LESSON TAUGHT. 


49 


"Howly Virgin! But I thought me time 
had come ! ” 

From that date Bat was observed to treat 
Helena with new respect, and I am inclined to 
believe that he considered her the patron saint 
of the brute creation in general, and of the 
Glencairn animals in particular. Never mind. 
Bat. Wiser men have made sorer blunders. 
There was a Saint Helena once, and I believe 
she was a very good woman, although she was 
great, and rich, and a queen. But I doubt very 
much whether she carried a truer or more loving 
heart under her regal robes than the one which 
beat under the mourning bodice of our own 
little Helena Seymour. 

Helena’s fondness for animals was one of the 
first discovered of her peculiarities after she 
came to Glencairn. 

” If you want to torment Helena, just pinch 
the cat’s tail,” said Bob, quite early in their 
acquaintance. She would bear a great deal for 


4 


50 


SHOItT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS 


herself; but one touch upon her pets, and sho 
was on fire. 

'' I can defend myself ; they can’t,” she had 
flashed out one day, seizing her kitten and rush- 
ing to her own room. 

"Cats!” exclaimed Bob. "One must be at 
a loss for creatures to pet 1 ” 

" It isn’t that I like cats particularly. But I 
like all animals, and I won’t have my own 
abused, I tell you. I will kill my kitten with 
my own hands rather than have her tormented I ” 
And something in her eye said that she was in 
earnest. 

But the subject of animals has led me^away 
from Mrs. Mather and Helena, who, all this 
while, are sitting in that cosy room, talking. 
There were some things in that talk which 
caused Helena to remember it, — some things 
which influenced her afterwards, and, therefore, 
things which we must not omit here. 

"Ah, well, my dear child,” said Aunt Cor- 
nelia, sweetly, " I suppose we all have our bat- 


A LESSON TAUGHT, 


51 


ties to fight in one way or another. And I am 
sure I understand your struggle better, from the 
fact that it reminds me of my own old days.” 

”You, Mrs. Mather! You don’t mean that 
you ever had ' temper battles ’ to fight I ” 

To think that this dear Aunt Cornelia, with 
her low voice and gentle ways, — always a little 
lower, and a little gentler when a reproof was 
to be given, — to think that she could ever have 
had such trials to contend with, was too much 
for Helena’s belief. 

^'Certainly. I don’t talk over those old times 
very often. It is not necessary ; but for the 
sake of helping you a little, I will show you how 
some of my former fields were won. Suppose 
you get your work first.” 

Helena ran to fetch her tatting, and seated 
herself again on "the confessional.” And there, 
with the cheerful light of the May morning shin- 
ing in, they sat, these two in their mourning 
garments, and talked over their doubts, their 
struggles, and their victories. I suppose few 


.52 


BHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


persons ever met Mrs. Mather, without feeling 
the influence of a certain power which there was 
in her, beyond that possessed by other women. 
It was not sweetness. It was too strong for 
that, merely. It was not strength. It was too 
sweet. But it was an indescribable mingling of 
the two, which was inexpressibly charming. I 
think Helena, that morning, came into pos- 
session of some secrets which would serve as a 
key to this mysterious influence. 

"I think it began,” said Aunt Cornelia, 
referring to her old warfare, "in a desire to be 
made much of, — to see a commotion of my own 
raising. I was actually quite proud of my tan- 
trums.” 

" W ere you, really ? ” 

" Certainly, at first. But breaking cut glass, 
chewing my old aunt’s diamonds, and hanging 
myself out of the fourth-story window by my 
fingers, came to be stale at last.” 

"Did you do all those things?” asked Helena, 
in amazement, although it was a comfort to 


A LESSOJH' TAUGHT. 


.^3 

know that another city home, a score of years 
before, had been disquieted by Aunt Cornelia’s 
juvenile pranks. 

did all those things, and hundreds that Fve 
forgotten. I can remember being put into a 
hot bath to prevent convulsions, after one of 
those paroxysms of rage.” 

” But what finally cured you of it ? ” 

” I was never cured until I went away from 
home, where I was of no more consequence than 
any other silly child, and where my puny rage 
troubled people no more than the whistling of 
the wind. Then I began to see how foolish I 
was. Then there was another thing. Mrs. 
Wells, my teacher, was a strong, active, thor- 
oughly Christian woman. Her black eyes 
looked straight through me.” 

Were you afraid of her?” 

Indeed I was. I shall never forget the old 
school-room where she talked to me, and, after 
all these years, I can think of nothing better to 
say to you.” 


54 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOING S, 


''Oh, what is it?” inquired Helena, earnestly. 

" Eemember,” she said, "df you have strength 
and power they will show themselves. You 
can’t conceal them if you try. Your power will 
come out in every tone of your voice, and every 
motion of your face. No human being will ever 
confound you with persons weak and apathetic.” 

Helena listened intently to this, sw’allowing 
every word. 

" You were born into the world with force of 
character. Now make yourself just as gentle 
and calm as you can. Your sw'eetness will carry 
greater power for the strength, and the strength 
will be weightier for the sweetness. But remem- 
ber — ” and Mrs. Mather’s voice grew very 
earnest here — " remember that it is above and 
beyond us that the greatest strength lies. Never 
try to struggle and conquer in your own weak 
way, alone, when all the treasures of power may 
be yours, but for the asking. Kemember : — 

“ ‘ Only the Lord can hear, 

Only the Lord can see, 


A LESSON- TAUGHT. 


55 


The struggle within, how dark and drear, 

Though quiet the outside be. 

The word of old was true. 

And its truth shall never cease, — 

The Lord shall fight for you 
And ye shall hold your peace.’” 

” Oh, thank you ! ” said Helena. 

”Is it possible that it’s so late?” said Aunt 
Cornelia, looking at her watch. ” Eeally, I have 
been giving you a regular treatise. Flossy! 
What now ? ” 

As if to give point to the lecture, Florence 
burst in at this instant, exulting in two long, 
white strips of some material. 

” See my reins, aunty ! IVe been driving Old 
Plec with ’em.” 

” Flossy mustn’t have this,” said Mrs^. Mather, 
taking away the innocent-looking reins, that 
actually were a yard or more of rich lace which 
the little mischief-maker had found bleaching on 
the grass, and contrived to tear the long way, 
and, of course, ruin. 


66 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


" I didn’t know ’twas any harm ! ” said the 
child, comprehending her mistake too late. 

" I know, dear. Here is some thing for your 
reins. Now run and see if the pony isn’t coming 
and Belle.” 

Florence ran away, and Aunt Cornelia took 
up the torn treasure, examining the hopeless 
destruction, with a little flush on her cheek. " I 
should have shaken the child ! ” said Helena to 
herself. She was not in fault; but how few 
persons there are who, in dealing with children, 
do not consider consequences before actions ! 
This was a long lesson to Helena. 

There are many gentle and many strong. 
But wherever you meet one who is both, then 
be sure there has been a struggle and a conquest. 
Somewhere, upon its pilgrimage, the soul has 
gone groping down into the valley of shadows 
and gloom, has fought its own fierce Apollyon 
in the darkness, and has come up radiant and 
victorious. 



CHAPTEE IV. 


EVENmG PASTIMES. 



]0W, good people, what are we going 
to do to-night ? It's as dark as Egypt. 
Nobody’ll come, and we are left to 
our own devices.” 

The sound of Bob’s voice ceased, and then 
you heard the rain dashing against the east win- 
dows, and pouring from the eave-spouts all 
around the house. For it was one of those 
fierce storms such as winter delights in flinging 
back over his shoulder far into the spring. 

” O Bob ! can’t we make molasses candy ? ” 
and Flossy looked up from hard labor on a doll’s 
nigbtcap. 


67 


58 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


'' Teuty won’t allow us to make it, after March. 
Besides, she’s as cross as two sticks to-night.” 

" What ? Tenty ? How do you know ? ” asked 
Belle, folding her sewing as the twilight 
deepened. 

” Oh, I came through the kitchen just now, 
and she was sitting with her feet in the oven, 
her elbows on her knees, and her fists digging 
into her cheeks, looking as fierce as a meat-ax. 
Commend me to a bear robbed of her whelps, 
but not to Tenty when she’s in her martyred 
state, calling heaven and earth to bear witness 
to her injuries.” And Bob went striding up and 
down after his fashion, from one darlcening win- 
dow to the opposite one, humming the last Ethi- 
opian air, when, all at once, he broke out : — 

"O auntie! Isn’t it about time for me to 
have my pockets unsewed ? ” 

You ought to know best. Bob. You know 
it was your own suggestion.” 

Aunt Cornelia was sitting in the warm, red 
glow of the fire-light, with Helena on a iow 


EVENING PASTIMES, 


59 


seat beside her, the bright gleams from the 
grate just touching the long hair and low fore- 
head of the latter. She glanced up inquiringly, 
and Bob explained ; — 

I "You see, Helena, I had no end trouble 
keeping my hands out of my pocket. Mamma 
said it wasn’t decent, and she was ashamed to 
meet me on the street bearing down upon her 
with my paws in my pockets, and my shoulders 
up to my ears. She said it made her blush 
for her own flesh and blood ! ” 

"But the * colloquy,’ Bob.” 

" Yes, that was the climax. You see it was 
Christmas, and we boys were getting up some 
singing, and tableaux, and one thing and 
another, — a nondescript sort of entertainment.” 
"Private theatricals?” suggested Helena.- 
"Why, yes, I suppose so. Only the doctor 
doesn’t like theaters ; so we called it a colloquy. 
You remember, Belgie ? ” 

Belgie smiled, and did remember. Belle, in 
virtue of her middle initial, G., for Greenleaf, 


CO 


SnORT-COMlNGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


obtained from Bob this epithet among her many 
sisterly appellations. 

” You may believe ^ye had to work like tigers. 
Somebody always does in any such pei'form- 
ance. We hadn’t any girls, of course, in our 
school. So the best we could do was to rig up 
half a dozen of the boys for the lovely parts. 
I parted my hair in the middle, and shook flour 
on it out of Tenty’s pepper-box, and borrowed 
her biggest cap and spectacles, and I tell you, 
I made the handsomest old woman possible, 
though you mightn’t think it.” 

" Assurance ! ” 

" None of your hiati, Tom ! ” 

Hiatus is foui*th declension, Bob. Plural 
the same.” 

"I dare say it is. But, as I was about to say 
when I was interrupted,” said Bob, with mock 
dignity, "we got on famously. Everybody 
said it was the jolliest kind of a show. Only 
there was one droll thing. We didn’t, a single 


EVENING PASTIMES, 


61 


mother’s son of us, know what to do with our 
hands.” 

"That was funny,” laughed Helena. 

"I reckon it was. We stuck ’em where our 
pockets ought to be. But they weren’t there. 
We tried jputtiug them behind us, and that was 
worse still. And, finally, we gave it up for a 
bad job, and every old woman went round with 
his hands under her apron ! ” 

"Then, next morning. Bob appeared with 
needle and thread to have his pockets sewed 
up.” 

" Yes, I never did suspect before what a fool 
I was about it. But I’ve got now so that I go 
ahead very well without my pockets.” 

Bob rattled off his merry small-talk. Tom 
looked on as though he wondered that anybody 
could be so frivolous. Tom talked little, and 
voted his brother a fool for talking so much. 
And Tom had the common opinion upon his 
side, — the common opinion being sustained by 
various proverbs concerning " empty barrels 


62 


SHOUT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


making the most noise,’’ etc. But iu spite of 
Tom, adages, and public opinion, I know that 
Bob’s cheery voice carried a great deal of hap- 
piness along with it, and I have certainly known, 
besides Bob Farley, several persons of excellent 
common sense, who were by no means silent 
people. And while there is doubtless great 
merit in silence, still I have long felt that a plea 
ought to be entered in behalf of sociable per- 
sons ; and I hereby enter my own protest and 
request that neither myself nor my talkative 
friend shall be set down as idiots simply from 
the fact of our enjoying a brisk, chatty conver- 
sation. 

"We must keep our study hour the first 
thing, whatever we do afterwards,” suggested 
Belle. Bob sprang to help her arrange the 
drop-light, while Helena ran to fetch the books. 

It was a pleasant circle about the large table. 
Mrs. Mather thought this /as she glanced from 
one bent head to another. To us elders there 
is always beauty in young, healthy faces. 


EVENING PASTIMES. 


C3 


because they are young and healthy. And the 
boys and girls at Glencairn had other claims to 
admiration. Tom’s pale, Grecian features were 
a line contrast to Bob’s brown cheek, and more 
robust style. It is true that the delicate feat- 
ures of the former, his thin, curved lip, and 
aquiline nose, gave to his face an imperious and 
almost petulant expression. But Tom would 
get the better of that by and by. As for Belle 
and Helena, we have described them before, and, 

. certainly, the soft grace of the one and the 
brown eye of the other were no less attractive 
upon longer acquaintance. 

''Here, Belle! Don’t you want to be an 
angel, and help me out with this Caesar?” 

Bob’s knotted forehead and generally per- 
plexed air had been noticeable for some min- 
utes. 

" I will help you,” said Aunt Cornelia. 
" Belle is busy.” And Mrs. Mather, with her 
long worsted needle, pointed to the words in 
their order, and let the boy translate them. 


64 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


Every one knows how much more difficult it is 
to show a schohir how to do a thing than it is 
to do it for him. Following the slender index 
Bob read : — 

” Cassar, in this battle, avenged not alone pub- 
lic but also private injuries, for the Tigurini, 
in the same fight with .Cassius, had slain also 
Lucius Piso, his lieutenant, grandfather of 
Lucius Piso, Caesar’s father-in-law.” 

Pooh ! that wasn’t near enough relation to 
feel bad about ! ” cried the matter-of-fact Bob. 
A similar idea may have struck other readers of 
the commentaries. 

"Thank you, aunty, though, all the same. 
Pm through now ! ” and Bob closed his book, 
his " illustrated edition,” as he called it, and I 
am grieved to state that the book was copiously 
illuminated upon margin and blank leaf, so. that 
a stranger might have compiled therefrom a 
tolerably correct history of Doctor Timlowe’s 
school. Here was delineated the good doctor 
himself, in various attitudes, all unmistakable ; 


EVENING PASTIMES. 


65 


the experiences of the pupils, disciplinary and 
otherwise ; the prominent military characters 
of the time, depicted with heads out of all pro- 
portion to their bodies, — all these were repro- 
duced with a spirit and correctness which 
redounded more to the artistic skill of the young 
man than to his scholastic industry. 

''What are you getting wise about, Helena? 
Oh, the history of the early Britons, to be sure, 
the druids, and the monk Augustine ! ’ Tom, 
what was that story you were reading in Thierry, 
the other day, about that?” 

Tom’s face brightened at the question. Not 
that he was vain of his reading. The Farleys 
had too wise a father, and had grown up too well 
informed about matters at large, to estimate the 
little they knew as of much consequence, when 
compared with the vast amount which the}^ did 
not know. It was only that the boy was interested 
in books. They and the characters in them 
seemed his friends, and Tom was never so genial 
and bright, so altogether comfortable, as when 


66 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


relating some little incident learned by his own 
reading. 

'"Let us have the story, Tom,” added his 
aunt. 

”Oh, it was simply a little thing that hap- 
pened when one of the really great men was 
pope.’’ 

” Why, he was the one who found the Angles 
in the market-place, wasn’t he? ” asked Bob. 

” Do pray tell us that, too,” begged Helena, 
with her eager face. 

'AYhy, this pope — he wasn’t pope then — 
was walking about the city one day, and came 
upon some captives, — half-a-dozen fellows the 
like of which he had never seen before, — fair 
hair, blue eyes, all pink and white, like cream 
candy, you know ; quite a contrast, in fact, to 
the dusky Italians. So he asked what nation 
they were of. Somebody said they were 
'Angles.' — ’'Angels they might be if they 
weren’t heathen,’ he said. Then he asked where 
they came from ; and was told from the city of 


EVENING PASTIMES, 


67 


Deira. ' From the wrath of God/ he cried out. 
' Let us summon them to his mercy ! ’ And 
after all, to finish his pun, hearing that their 
king was one Alla, he cried ' Allelujah ! ’ And 
that is my story, all I know of it. Tom must 
tell the rest. Only, by way of spoiling it, I will 
say that I don’t see how a man could pun in 
English, five hundred years before the English 
language was ever spoken. Eh, Tom? ” 

” It was Angli instead of Angles, and angeli 
instead of angels.” 

"There, ladies! See what comes of having 
one bright one in the family I ” exclaimed Bob, 
with good-natured triumph. 

" Now your story, Tom,” said Aunt Cornelia, 
at the same time throwing a glance at Helena, 
who sat eagerly listening. Her cheeks were 
flushed, and her eyes bright with the evening 
light, and with the interest in what was going 
on about her. I think I have before spoken of 
the contrast in color between Helena’s eyes and 
hair. The arched brov^s and long lashes were 


G8 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


in sympathy with the eyes, and were very dark. 
” One from papa, and the other from mamma,” 
she had said, smiling, when Aunt Cornelia had 
referred to the contradiction. 

" I hope two opposite characters are not quar- 
reling inside,” said Mrs. Mather. 

"Oh, I hope not,” was the quick answer. 

But while I am introducing this parenthesis, 
Tom is going on with his story. 

' I am afraid my story isn’t as good as Bob’s ; 
but I thought it was right nice. It seems that 
this same pope, when he came to the pontificate, 
remembered Britain, and sent a young monk, 
named Augustine, and forty men with him, to 
Christianize the island.” 

" Was it Saint Augustine?” asked Belle. 

"No, this was not Monica’s son,” said Mrs. 
Mather. Only a day or two before they had 
talked of Monica, her prayers for her son, 
and his love for his mother. 

"Well, it seems that there was an old Druid, 
a man with flowing white beard and grave. 


EVENING PASTIMES. 


69 


stately ways. And Augustine began to talk to 
him about life. 'Life!' cried the old man, 
turning fiercely upon him. ' What do you know 
about life? What do any of us know about it? 
Why, it is as though we were sitting about the 
fire some dark night, and a little bird should fly 
in and flutter about our heads for an instant, 
then away out into the gloom again, to report 
what it knows about men, and the way they 
live, and all about them.^ That is the story.” 

"And a sweet one it is,” remarked Aunt 
Cornelia. 

The clock struck eight. Books were closed. 
Florence begged to be allowed to sit up to the 
plays, for it was an established custom at Glen- 
cairn that, rainy evenings, when they were 
alone, the hour after study should be for games. 
Since Aunt Cornelia came, she had entered into 
it with as great zest as any one. 

There were various games popular among the 
children. There was capping poetry, when 
everybody in turn repeated a verse beginning 


70 


SnORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


with the letter which ended the last. This did 
well for a little time. But it was apt to fall 
into the hands of the few poetical ones, and they 
found themselves, day after day, repeating the 
same old selections. Then, too, the ending 
letters and the beginning ones were so different ; 
half the stanzas ending with e, and it being one 
of the rarest letters to commence with. And, 
really, the best time they ever had with this was 
once when Dr. Clintock was there with them, 
and he brought the treasures of "Watts* and 
Select H3nnns,** to the rescue. 

Another game was of their own devising, and 
consisted of two sets of written papers to be 
drawn by lot. You drew a question from one 
and a word from the other, and players were 
required to write a rhyme answering the ques- 
tion and containing the word. Some amusinor 
replies grew out of it. For example. Belle 
drew, "Where are the Elysian fields?** The 
word was " Nose.** The rhyme read ; — 


EVENING PASTIMES, 


71 


“ Follow your nose, 

• And you’ll come to those 

Delightful meads, 

Of which one reads.” 

Bob’s paper was : ” What is meant by common 
sense ? ” word, ” Nag.” The doggerel read : — 

“ Don’t think that all creation’s stopped 
Because your nag won’t go ; 

Don’t think the wheels of time have lagged 
Because your watch is slow ; 

Nor fancy all the world is dark 
Because your candle’s out;’ 

Nor, when your double molar’s drawn. 

Expect all flesh to shout ! ” 

Bare fun came out of these games some times ; 
and as the writing of rhyme is largely mechani- 
cal, they all became quite adepts in it. Indeed 
Aunt Cornelia went beyond the others, and 
gave them some things which the children voted 
poetry. Here is a sample of it. Question : 
"What are the wild waves saying?” Word, 
" Shell.” 


72 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


THE SONG OP TIIE SHELL. 

Is it lonely, I wonder, the beautiful shell, 

That it murmurs for ever, the song of the sea? 
With its musical moan is it trying to tell 
The tale of the ocean to you and to me ? 

“ The caves of pink coral, the grottos of pearl, 

The mermen and mermaids who sport down below, 
Sea-weeds and sea-mosses, that daintily curl. 

Bright flowers that never in land-gardens grow. 

“ Is it lonely, I wonder, that, all the day long. 
Whenever I listen, ’tis singing to me 
The dim and the distant, the sorrowful song 
That it learned, long ago, of its mother, the sea? 

“ That gray ocean-mother who never is still. 

But croons to her children for ever and aye. 

And always is rocking, and rocking them still. 

By sunlight and starlight, by night and by day. 

So loud in the tempest, so low in the calm. 

Do they listen far down in their cradles of sand, 
In haunts of the iceberg, in isles of the palm. 

In frozen Spitzbergen, or tropical land? 

The sail in the offing, the boat on the bay. 

The stars in the sky, and the stars in the wave. 
The dusky-browed children with pebbles at play. 
The sailor-boy’s silent and unnoticed grave. 


EVENING PASTIMES. 


73 


“ The ship that went sailing and sailing afar, 

The eyes that were watching and waiting so long, 

The wild waste of waters, the one floating spar, — 

All these are a part of this wonderful song.” 

Still another game was introduced by Mrs. 
Mather, on the evening of which I have been 
telling. 

"We are to provide ourselves with paper and 
pencils, and write the answers to these questions. 
Then we shake them up, read the answers, and 
decide on the writers from internal evidence.” 

'• How jolly ! ” 

There were three or four adjectives which Bob 
pressed into service on all occasions, and made 
to do the duty of a score of words. "Jolly ” and 
"awful” were the most hard-worked of these 
conversational slaves. 

"Let’s have sealed envelopes,” proposed Belle. 
"Then we’ll all guess, and the name in the 
envelope shall settle the matter.” 

This motion was carried by acclamation. Hele- 
na whispered to Aunt Cornelia that they would 


74 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG^GOINGS, 


"be sure to know hers, because she didn’t 
know anything.” 

"We none of us know much, dear ; ” and aunty 
gave the fingers under the table-cover a pressure 
of assurance. "Now are you ready? I will 
read.” 

Mrs. Mather read the questions in their order, 
and for the next ten minutes nothing was to be 
seen but the tops of half-a-dozen heads in a 
circle round the table. Various shades of black, 
brown, and gold there were, and all very well 
brushed and tidily arranged. Here are the 
questions : — 

"What is your favorite color? Flower? 
Tree ? Hour in the day ? Season of the year ? 
Names, male and female? Poets? Prose 
authors? Character in Komance ? In History? 
What book — not religious — would you part 
with last? Where would you like best to live? 
Your favorite occupation? The trait of character 
you most admire in man? In woman? The 
trait you most dislike in each ? If not yourself, 


EVENING PASTIMES, 


75 


who would you rather be ? Your idea of hap- 
piness ? Of misery ? The sublimest passion of 
which human nature is capable? The sweetest 
words in the world? The saddest? Your 
motto?” 

At length the five manuscripts were ready, 
signed fictitiously, sealed and deposited in Belle’s 
work-basket. They were to be drawn and 
opened by Flossy, and read by her sister. 

"Please come to order! ” cried Bob; and the 
group directly set themselves in an attitude of 
listening, or, as Tom said, arrectis aurihus, A 
paper was opened, written in a scrawling back 
hand, like the first efforts of an aspirant for left- 
hand honors in writing. 

. " Oh, I know whose this — ” A handkerchief 
at Flossy’s lips cut short her disclosure. 

" Guesses not in order till the proper time. 
Go ahead, Belgie.” 

"I will. Bob. But please not cut whalebone 
with my embroidery scissors.” 


76 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


Bob dropped scissors and whalebone, begging 
pardon, and his sister read : — 

"Yellow. Sunflower. Scrub-oak. Dinner- 
time. March. Amram. Jochebed. Mother 
Goose’s Melodies. Forty thieves. Flibberty 
Gibbet. Isaac Walton. Almanac. Now. 
Whittling. Spunk. Obedience. Blarney. 
Hector. Peanuts and caramels. Having to sit 
still. Gumption. You’ve done it. Come to 
supper. You stupid! Hop on, hop over.” 
Signed : "Splinters.” 

" Which last is supposed to be Bob’s version 
of ' Hope on, hope ever,’ ” said Tom. 

" There ! I knew it was Bobbin’s ! ” shouted 
Flossy , triumphantly . 

"Yes, darling, but you mustn’t tell all you 
know,” returned Belle, taking the next paper, 
which Florence handed with much dignity. 

"Blue. Heliotrope. Elm. Spring. Eeginald. 
Alice. Mrs. Browning. Christopher North. Guy 
Morville. Gertrude Yonder Wart. Paradise Lost. 
Time of the Bound Table. Painting. Courage. 


EVENING PASTIMES. 


77 


Trustfulness. Deceit. Mamma. To be good. A 
bad conscience.” — " Great deal she knows about 
that,” interpolated Tom, under his breath. — 
''Self-sacrifice. Well done. No hope. Nil desjpe- 
randum.'*^ Signed, "Viola.” 

"Aunt Cornelia.” 

"No.” 

" Belle herself, then.” 

" Eight ! Here’s number three, signed, to 
begin with, 'Pix.’ Listen : — 

" Silver-gray. Lilac. Lombardy Poplar. Morn- 
ing. Summer. Max. Kate. Pope and Thompson. 
Johnson. Tristam Shandy. Napoleon Bonaparte. 
American Cyclopaedia. Oxford, Eng. Eeading. 
Truth. Gentleness. Solomon. A Library. Soli- 
tary confinement without books, paper, or pens. 
Faith. Succeeded. 'Abandon hope, all ye who 
enter here.’ They are able because they think 
they are able.” 

" Hurrah for Tom’s American Cyclopaedia ! ” 
cried Bob. " Let’s have the rest.” 

Aunt Cornelia's was recognized b^^ Tennyson, 


78 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


— a quotation from ” In Memoriam,” — and then 
Belle took the last, which must of. course be 
Helena’s. 

"Purple. Amaranth. Linden. Twilight. In- 
dian Summer. Harold. Marion. Longfellow. 
Dickens. Little Nell. Joan d’Arc. Heir of 
Eedclyffe. Millennium. Tatting. Self-Control. 
Hypocrisy. The best old person living. Giving 
pleasure. Wrong-doing. Trust. Mother, home, 
heaven. Alone. ^ Every cloud has a silver 
lining.’” 

" Good for our little Nellie ! ” came heartily 
from Bob. 

"But, Helena,” said Tom, "what a funny 
answer to the question, 'Who, besides your- 
self, would you rather be?’ Why have you 
written, ' The best old person living ’? Haven’t 
you made some mistake ? ” 

" Not at all ; ” and Helena looked down into 
her lap, and began to braid her fingers into a 
plait of four strands. 

"Why, — but wh}^ would you want to be old?” 


EVENING PASTIMES. 


79 


Helena’s face turned more painfully red, so that 
Aunt Cornelia was fain to come to the rescue, 
and say, Don’t answer, unless you quite like 
it.” 

"It is nothing,” answered the little girl; 
" only one would be so near the end.” 

" What I Because you would be so near the 
end of life, — so near death ! How strange ! ” 

" Is it so strange ? ” answered Helena, glan- 
cing up now. " I thought people were always 
glad to get to their journey’s end.” 

" They ought to be,” said Mrs. Mather, 
quietly. -i 

" I know it must be very selfish to want the 
reward without working for it ; ” and Helena 
fell to braiding her fingers again. "But, I 
should think, if we believe in heaven, we should 
be only in too much haste to reach there,” she 
added, honestly; and at that instant the clock 
struck ten, and bed-time was announced. 



CHAPTEE V. 

HEART-BONDS. 

NY person who had seen Helena, as 
she came flying into the breakfast- 
room the next morning, would have 
had some difl&culty in recognizing her as the 
girl who wanted to be old, that she might be 
"nearer the end.” Her curls floated out behind, 
her cheeks w’ere red with racing around the 
garden walk with Hector, and her eyes had the 
brightness which comes of good health, spirits, 
and exercise. 

"Isn’t it a glorious morning?” she asked, as 
she kissed Mrs. Mather before sitting down to 
breakfast. The two stood a moment in the 



so 


HEART-BONDS. 


81 


bay-window, looking out upon the lawn, bright 
Avith last night’s rain and this morning’s sun. 

"Look ! there’s not a cloud in the sky,” said 
Helena. 

" Weather-breeder ! ” responded a voice from 
the side-board. 

" O you dear old Tenty ! You sha’n’t throw 
wet blankets on me in that way ; ” and Tenty 
received a warm embrace as her good-morn- 
ing. 

" No, Tenty ! Pray don’t prophesy bad 
things for us. Do, for mercy’s sake, let us 
enjoy our sunshine in peace this once ! ” ex- 
claimed Bob, who presided over the water- 
pitcher. 

" Can’t help it. I know what I know ; ” and 
Tenty shook her wise old head. 

Tall, bony, square-shouldered, a nose that 

suffered eclipse in wrinkles, and eyes that shut 

tight every time she laughed, hair iron-gray, 

confined by a brass comb behind, — that’s Tenty. 

Honest, faithful, kind, blunt, impatient, and 
6 


82 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


cross, — that is Tenty, too. True as steel, she 
had lived in the Farley family for half a century 
or more, had received all the children in their 
infancy, had petted and pinched, catechised 
and chastised their childhood, and would have 
worked her fingers to the bone fOr any one of 
them. A woman of nerve, and also of nerves, 
was Tenty. By daylight she was ready to 
meet the world in arms, and she was out of her 
bed and prowling about the house every night 
in the year, to investigate the " shrimping 
noises” which had never yet been found to be 
owing to anything more stupendous than rats. 
Eobbers in human, and spectres in sepulchral, 
form were alike a terror to her, and between 
them both she was often heard to declare that 
she " believed she should have no rest, to the 
day of her death ! ” Tenty — her name was 
Content, by the by — had small faith in, or com- 
prehension of, modern improvements. She had 
never entered a railroad car, because, as she 
said, " she thought too much of her old bones to 


HEART-BONDS, 


83 


trust ’em on them rackety-skackety things ; ” 
and she lived in daily apprehension that the 
train would leave the railroad track and make 
straight across the country, the distance of two 
miles, into her back pantry, where the cow- 
catcher would make a sad havoc amons: her 
shining pans. As for the telegraph, Tenty had 
often seen messages jDassing over the wires, and 
so believed in them. In spite of this, she was 
a woman of stalwart common sense. should 
take it as a compliment to have Tenty like 
me,” Dr. Clintock said, and well he might ; for 
in the matter of character this good woman’s 
judgment was seldom at fault. She had one 
unfailing comment upon evil-doers of all sorts. 
"Wa’n’t raised right!” she would say. And 
that finished the matter. She would close her 
mouth as though she never intended to open it 
again. She stood sturdily by the Assembly’s 
Catechism ” and " John Kogers’s Primer,” and the 
Glencairn children would forget many things 


8i 


SnORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


before they forgot their early lessons from 
Tenty. 

“ ‘ Though I am young, a little one, 

If I can speak, and go alone, 

Then I must learn to love the Lord, 

And learn to read his holy word ’ — 


” Don’t I remember when I used to stand up 
before her and recite that? ” said Bob ; and if 
I ventured to look around at the cat, I was 
brought up standing in a twinkling ! ” 

This was the woman who, in the full glory 
of her big linen collar and gingham apron, 
walked staidly out of the room this morning. 

" Aunty, I think this is just the j oiliest break- 
fast-room,” said Bob. And indeed it was bright, 
with the morning sun lying out in squares on 
the carpet, and touching delicate china and 
gleaming silver. Just that instant Flossy came 
in, redolent of Brown Windsor soap and clean 
starched dress and apron. Flossy’s toilette 
was liable to be in better order at breakfast 
than two hours later. Every one was* in a state 


HEART-BONDS. 


85 


to enjoy every one else, for a half-hour’s ex- 
ercise in the morning is apt to put every one 
in good humor. 

Mrs. Mather’s hands were flitting about 
among cups and saucers, and Flossy was 
holding up her curls with both hands to have 
her eating-apron tied about the neck, when 
Tenty came back with the morning’s mail. 

A letter from Dresden ! ” cried Bob, as the 
blue envelope, abounding in stamps, fell out 
from the folds of the morning’s paper. 

It was Flossy’s especial prerogative to open 
all letters from abroad, and all crowded about 
her while she performed the service. No 
crowned queen was ever more jealous of her 
privilege, and the little tanned fingers, between 
nervous haste and dignified importance, were 
in danger of putting waiting spectators quite 
out of patience. The envelope came oflT at 
last, and,. falling to the floor, was captured by 
old Hector, who carried it off to his rug and 
made great rejoicing over it. Out of the letter 


86 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


fell a bunch of blue violets. ”For our new 
little daughter,” was attached to them, and 
they were passed on to Helena. The letter was 
from Eeg., and on this wise : — 

“ We reached Dresden three days ago. About the voyage, 
I can only tell you that one day was pretty much like an- 
other. I didn’t mind the tumbling, after a little. You know 
somebody says : ‘ When a man is sea-sick his first feeling 
is being afraid he shall die ; the next, he’s afraid he sha’n’t.* 
That man knew. 

“We sailed near the Isle of Wight, and saw the villas, 
with pleasure-grounds attached. Osborne House, the queen’s 
summer residence, was pointed out to us, and I decided what 
I shall do when my ship comes in. 

“When we landed, the porters began jabbering German to 
mamma and me, but gave it up pretty soon ; while they all 
seemed to take papa for a German, — thanks to his long beard 
and his old residence here. Oh, and I mustn’t forget to tell 
you that papa has got two new suits of clothes, and a tall hat, 
and he looks ten years younger. I should actually have 
passed that spruce-looking man upon the street without recog- 
nizing him.” 

” Three cheers for papa ! ” cried Bob. It was 
one of the trials of the young people at Glen- 


HEART-BONDS. 


87 


cairn, that their father cared so little for the cut 
and fashion of his garments. Hence the 
announcement, and the sensation it caused. 
Belle went on : — 

“ Our hotel looks out on the river Elbe. It is about as 
wide here as the Susquehanna is at Eastburne, but not half as 
beautiful. The bridge is splendid, — worthy of a better river 
than the Elbe. The palace is a queer-looking old place. 
Mamma calls it the ‘ rat house.’ But, Belgie dear, we had 
the greatest treat yesterday. Dr. and Mrs. Wisner came to 
take us to the Picture Gallery. We saw miles of paintings, 
of course. But finally, in a small room all by itself, we 
found that famous picture of the Sistine Madonna. Of course 
I can’t describe it, or give you any idea of it. The copy in 
the library, papa says, is a tolerably good one, but the paint- 
ing itself is just grand. People go and sit there for hours, 
and watch it ; and there is one strange thing, — Mrs. Wis- 
ner says it’s always so, — that, no matter how gay people have 
been, or how they have chatted and laughed, there they are 
quiet. It’s like a little church of itself. 

“Papa and I drove out to Blasewitz, the place where Will 
Pumpelly is at school. It’s really jolly out there, but it was 
droll to hear our Yankee Will running about and talking that 
outlandish gibberish, as fast as though he had been born to it. 
The Wisners are just as jolly as ever. Elsie is two years 


88 


SnORT-COMlNGS AND LONd-GOINGS. 


taller, and there is another baby ; and the doctor lets his white 
beard grow, and is a handsomer man for it. 

“How are you all at home? Give my' love to aunty, and 
teil her to embrace all around in my behalf. ‘ Quifacitper 
alium, facit per se.’ Ahem ! You see I’ve not forgotten my 
Latin. Tell Tenty that the disaster which she prophesied, on 
account of our starting Friday, hasn’t come yet. Be sure 
you don’t forget to stroke all Flossy’s cats, beginning at the 
tail and stroking toward the head, and, moreover, give Hec’s 
tail a particular ting for me. He’ll be sure to recognize my 
sign-manual.. Dear old fellow ! 

“ But mamma is tapping for me to shut up shop and go to 
bed ; so good-night. By-the-by, the first night after I came 
I had hard work to make the chambermaid comprehend that 
I wanted to sleep on my feather bed, instead of under it. 
Good-night, again. B^ good, and you’ll be happy, which lat- 
ter statement is purely original with myself. Commend me to 
the new member, and write directly to the scapegrace whose 
chief pride it is that he is 

“Your loving brother, 

“Reg. Mather Farley.” 

This letter, boyish and commonplace as it was, 
made Belle’s heart lighter for days. Keg. was a 
delicate boy. In fact it was on his account 
chiefly that his parents had gone abroad. Owing 


HEART-BONDS, 


89 


to this, his sister had been his companion, and 
the love between them was very strong. " Belle’s 
letters to Reg., and his back again, are the only 
love-letters that come and go from this house,” 
said Tom. And, in truth, the above missive 
had been addressed to ^'My bonnie love,” but 
this the sister had not read aloud ; for, even in 
her own family, she could not bring herself to 
repeat all the fond words which came from that 
dear heart over seas. 

Besides the letter from Reg. , the envelope had 
contained several notes. There was one from the 
father to Florence, which that thoughtful papa, 
mindful of his pet’s limited accomplishments, 
had printed. There was one to Tenty, in which 
that good soul specially exulted ; and, last, there 
were a few lines from mamma to Belle. It was 
just at the moment of writing, that Mr. and Mrs. 
Farley had received the intelligence of Mr. Sey- 
mour’s death. There was much meaning in 
these few words : — 


90 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


“ My dear Belle will hardly need her mother to remind her, 
I am sure, how much the happiness of the sad stranger will 
rest in her hands. Let her he sad and a stranger just as little 
time as possible. Make her, and every one else, as happy as 
you can, and so you will make happiest of them all your 
loving 

“Mamma.” 

Belle re-read this note an hour afterwards, as 
she sat writing in the library. At her feet lay 
old Hector, sleeping with the treasured envelope 
under his black muzzle. "Don’t you think an 
old dog knows where it came from ? ” he seemed 
to say. Across the room sat Helena, bending 
over her writing-desk, shyly wiping away a tear 
now and then. Belle was always touched by 
these secret, silent tears when she wrote. 

"Poor Harry! He must be so lonely,” she 
said, when Belle offered pleasantly to help her 
to anything she wished for. 

"Oh, it isn’t myself! You are all so kind, 
and make it so nice for me here,” she answered, 
very heartily. "But Harry hasn’t any one to 


HEART-BONDS, 


91 


comfort him, and I know he is so sad and alone 
in that big city.” 

"Your brother must come and visit you 
here.” 

"Oh, may I tell him so?” and the child’s 
face was actually luminous at the thought. But 
it fell again in an instant. "Oh, I didn’t think,” 
she added, sadly. Belle asked no questions, but 
she rightly guessed that the obstacle which had 
come, on second thought, was the one of ex- 
pense ; for Helena, young as she was, had been 
compelled to learn that money, though a very 
vulgar thing to people who have plenty of it, is 
a very excellent thing to those who haven’t it. 
Only the life insurance had been left to Mr. 
Seymour’s children, after his life of hard work, 
of good service to his country, and, alas ! of 
small wisdom as regarded himself and his chil- 
dren. And now, even a journey from New 
York to Eastburne was not to -be undertaken 
without good cause. Thus it was that Helena’s 
eyes fell, and she began braiding her fingers 


92 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


agaiu, at the thought that so many barriers 
separated her and her only remaining home 
friend. 

" Poor Harry ! Dear Harry 1 ” she whispered 
softly to herself a hundred times a day, and she 
hugged it into her heart at night and told 
her pillow all about it. And this morning, 
when Belle came across the library and knelt 
down on the floor at her side, and put her arms 
about her, the orphaned girl found words to tell 
her about this brother, and her great love for 
him. 

" Darling, I don’t dare think how much I love 
you, for it makes the tears come,” she wrote. 
And her first drawing, a rude enough pencil- 
sketch, the sister finished so carefully, that she 
might send it to that brother so far away, — 
only in New York, to be sure ; but the want 
of money was more than oceans between them. 
The little picture was duly wrapped and ad- 
dressed, and reached that busy lawyer’s office, 
on Wall Street, and the others glanced across 


HE ART-BONDS. 


93 


to Harold’s desk, and saw his chin quiver, brave 
• boy though he was, over the little piece of 
penciling partly, but most of all over the words 
in one corner written in a child’s hand, cramped 
and small, — worse than usual from the ner- 
vousness of trying to do her best: "To the 
darlingest, from the lovingest. — H. B. S.” 
While beyond hill and valley, three hundred 
miles toward the sunset, the " lovingest ” sat, 
that May morning, in the curtained niche of the 
shaded library, and wiped away the silent 
tears. 




CHAPTER VI. 

CROOKED THINGS STRAIGHTENED. 

! ” 

vas Mrs. Mather’s voice heard 
^ from the hall, 
ere, aunty ! In the library.” 

Then she came in, with her hands filled with 

flowers, violets, hyacinths, and crocuses, — came 

and stood beside the two girls. A tall woman, 

looking yet taller in her long black dress, a 

trifle stately, perhaps, with the state which we 

imagine the Roman matron to have had in the 

days when Rome was noblest, — this was Aunt 

Cornelia. ” Cornelia, the mother of the Gracchi,’ 

Bob delighted to call her, intimating, at the 

same time, that himself was her most valuable 

94 



CROOKED THINGS STRAIGHTENED. 


95 


” jewel.” However, grand and queenly as she 
might be to strangers, those who knew Mrs. 
Mather best, lost sight of the stateliness in the 
gentle sweetness which pervaded every word 
and deed. I quite despair of giving you, by 
these cold words, any idea of the woman who 
stood there that spring day, unless you have 
been blessed in knowing one like her. The 
flowers,# crocuses, gold and jDurple, fragrant 
hyacinths, sweet blue violets, a few sprays of 
heliotrope and mignonette from her. own little 
bay-window collection, — these filled a pretty 
oval basket which Mrs. Mather gave to Belle, 
saying : — 

”I wonder if you and Helena wouldn’t like 
to take these down to Grandmamma Linnell’s ? ” 

"Oh, yes, aunty. Helena has never seen 
them, and grandpapa was asking about her only 
yesterday.” 

"She isn’t your real grandmother, is she?” 
asked Helena, after the two had tied on their 


96 


SnORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


hats and were walking down the shaded river 
path. 

” Oh, no, not at all. Not ours nor anybody’s. 
Grandmamma hasn’t a chick nor a child in the 
world. She had a little girl once, and she died 
at two years ; and dear old grandmamma talks 
about her as though she now had her on her lap, 
blue shoulder-knots, coral rattle, and all. I love 
dearly to hear her.” , 

Belle and Helena stood now under an old elm 
just on t];ie river’s brink, and looked to the 
opposite shore : — 

” Do you see that white monument ? There’s 
where Altana is buried.” 

Altana was a lovely Indian girl, whose musical 
talent some kind friends had cultivated, and her 
concerts were giving her a wide reputation, 
when she came to her death suddenly by a rail- 
road disaster, and they brought her to this place 
and buried her at the head of this wooded bluff, 
her monument rising among the trees, and plain 
to be seen for miles up and down the river. 


CROOKED TBINGS STRAIGHTENED. 


97 


Belle explained this, and many other Eastburne 
topics, to her friend as they walked, and then a 
bend in the road brought them upon a little 
cottage of the romantic order, overgrown with 
woodbine. 

”Ah, my dear Isabelle! This is indeed a 
pleasure I ” 

It was a little old man, with long white curls, 
and old-fashioned garments, who came down the 
walk to meet them, and extended to Belle a 
hand half covered with a lace ruffle, « — this was 
the style of dress in which grandpapa had 
honored the country as American Consul to 
Brazil, half a century since, and his wife, who 
stood in the parlor door and embraced both the 
girls, was striking in a costume of the same era ; 
but Helena thought she had never heard any 
thing sweeter than the way in which the dear 
little old lady embraced and welcomed them. 
She raised her ear-trumpet directly, for she was 
very deaf. 

"Take seats, my dear children. Oh, not 
7 


98 


SHOBT^COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


there, my child ! That is Silverpaw’s chair ; ” 
and Helena sprang aside just in season to save 
herself from sitting upon a large Maltese cat. 

”You are well this morning?” asked Belle, 
through the ear-trumpet. 

"Pretty well,” was the reply, emphasizing 
the adverb. 

"Is it only 'pretty’ well, grandmamma?” 

"Well, my dear, you will please not to 
laugh ; ” though the dear soul smiled herself in 
mentioning it. Helena was watching her with all 
her eyes and mind, — this little figure in a short 
black silk frock, so short as to show the high- 
heeled shoes with buckles, the sleeves ending 
at the elbows in deep lace frills, long mitts com- 
ing up high on the arm, and a snow-white ker- 
chief covering the neck, while the silvery hair 
was arranged in pufis on either side of her face, 
and still, abundant as it was, it needed and re- 
ceived no concealing cap. 

" But you will be interested in knowing, my 
love, that I was disturbed all night with Pinto.” 


CROOKED THINGS STRAIGHTENED. 


99 


" Poor Pinto ! ” said Belle ; whereupon the vil- 
lanous Scotch terrier on the rug did her the 
honor to open one red eye and growl at her. 

” Was he ill?” 

” Indigestion, my dear, indigestion. He ate 
roast beef for his dinner yesterday, the little 
glfttton, and it disagreed with him. It always 
disagrees with him, and he knows it, the foolish 
creature ; ” and the old lady went on describing 
the infirmities of her spoiled pet. 

"Now you mightn’t think it, my^dear Miss 
Seymour,” said grandpapa, "but that creature 
knows every word we are saying as weU as you 
do!” 

"Does he, sir?” and Helena looked amazed, 
as, of course, she .was expected to do. 

" Here, Pinto ! ” The dog was at his master’s 
knee instantly. Grandpapa took his paw in his 
hand, and said, quietly, "Pinto, I want my 
gloves. Up stairs, on the bureau.” 

Pinto trotted out of the room, and in two 
journeys brought the gloves, gave them to his 


100 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


master, and was rewarded with a lump of 
sugar. 

” My love, your wish is my law,’’ answered 
grandpapa, when his wife remonstrated with 
regard to any more sugar to their invalid animal. 
Then the husband sprang to arrange the netting- 
bridle about his wife’s trim foot, kneeling to** do 
it as chivalrously as he could have performed the 
like duty half a century before. His gallantry 
was rewarded by a spray of heliotrope from Mrs. 
Mather’s basket, which grandmamma placed in 
her lover-husband’s button-hole, and he, not to 
be outdone, selected a bunch of blue violets, and 
fastened them in the soft white curls of his wife. 
Helena caught herself wondering if the flowers 
could ever have been more sweetly placed in the 
darkest locks than they were in those silvery 
tresses. 

While Belle was chatting, Helena’s eyes were 
busy among the hundreds of curiosities with 
which the little parlor was crowded. Here was 
a cage of Java sparrows, and there a mocking- 


CROOKED THINGS STRAIGHTENED. 


101 


bird; relics collected in every clime under the 
sun, and pictures of objects which apparently 
never were there; stuffed creatures, bird and 
beast whose life had been lovely to their mistress, 
and whose death could not wholly destroy their 
hold upon her heart, — all these, and the two 
figures which were the center of all, were a per- 
fect delight to the young girl’s eyes. 

''That, dear, is our coat-of-arms.” 

It was a pair of doves, embossed in silver 
upon a ground of sky-blue satin, surrounded by 
a wreath of shamrock and thistle, also in silver.” 

" You see we came from Scotland and Ireland 
both,” the little old lady went on, rightly im- 
agining that the stranger would enjoy better 
hearing her hostess talk than she would hearing 
her own voice raised to a sufficiently high pitch 
to be heard. 

"Tell dear Mrs. Mather I thank her for her 
flowers, these English violets particularly.” 

"My love, how can you call them English 
violets?” cried the husband, playhilly. "Why 


102 


SnORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


should we call everything English ? Don’t 
they grow all over the continent? Don’t you 
remember some that I gathered for you by 
Lake Lucerne ? ” 

" Have I not preserved them in my note-book 
until now?” replied the lady, with a smile. 
And the conversation turning upon Germany, 
Belle produced her brother’s letter, which was 
read, and shortly afterward they came away. 

Aren’t they lovely?” said Helena to Belle, 
as soon as the two were alone again. * 

” Indeed they are ; and always just as beauti- 
ful as you saw them this morning.” 

'' Has grandmamma been deaf always ? ” 

” Oh, no ! But a few years. It was so 
amusing to hear grandpapa at first. He wasn’t 
willing to allow that grandmamma was deaf. 
It was a 'slight cold,’ or a 'neuralgia which 
had afiected her hearing a trifle ; ’ but, at last, 
they were obliged to get the trumpet.” 

At dinner the girls found Miss Silence. Miss 
Silence was a single lady, who was a neighbor 


CnOOKED THINGS STItAIGHTENED, 


103 


by a two miles’ remove*, but who, having the 
kindest heart in the world, took all Eastburne 
in, and of course came often to have a chat 
with her Glencairn friends. Miss Silence had 
not in her youth looked forward to a lonely life, 
and frequently made mention of *'the young 
man with whom she had once anticipated a con- 
nection in life.” There was a gilt-framed, black 
silhouette at the head of Miss Silence’s bed, 
and a package of yellow, letters under the 
pillow, and these were her companions in 
that lonely farm-house on Tattam hill. But 
every child in Eastburne knew where Miss 
Silence kept her cake-box, and what shelf in the 
closet was devoted to the loaf-sugar bowl ; and 
there was no house in town where she was not 
a welcome guest. 

” You’ve seen three of the Eastburne char- 
acters ! ” said Bob, at tea that night. 

"Did you talk with grandmamma much?” 
asked Aunt Cornelia of Helena. ^ 

"No’ra, not much. I shall get used to the 


104 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


trumpet by and by, I think ; but I was a little 
afraid of it at first.” 

'' I agree with Helena perfectly,” cried Tom. 
” It’s so embarrassing screaming to a deaf 
person.” 

" Why embarrassing ? ” 

” I don’t know as another would mind it, but 
things that would be sensible enough to say to 
a common person seem to lose all their sense, 
and sound so empty, when you have to cry them 
out three or four times to a deaf one. Positively, 
I never have such a sense of my own foolish- 
ness, and utter goosiness, as I do when I go to 
grandmamma’s . ” 

” Better go often, then,” suggested Bob, with 
mischief in ' his eye. Then, as his brother’s 
brow grew dark, he made matters worse by 
adding, "There, I forgot. We weren’t going 
to twit on facts.” 

" Bob, you’d better hold your tongue ! ” said 
the elder, angrily. 

"Thank you. When I need any help about 


CROOKED THINGS STRAIGHTENED. 


105 


managing my tongue, I shall know whom to call 
on.” 

’'Bob, will you remember which of us is the 
older ? ” and Tom’s white face and low voice 
showed how thoroughly angry he was getting. 

" Up spoke the captain of that gallant crew i ” 
quoted Bob, with a taunting laugh. But a 
gentle voice interposed just here : — 

" Bob, I think you forget^ where you are. 
Tom, pray remember what is due to yourself 
as a gentleman.” 

The two boys reddened, looked hard at their 
plates, and finished tea in silence. 

I have spoken before of the antagonism be- 
tween these two. " Tom and Bob are so dif- 
ferent,” people said. Aunt Cornelia saw that the 
difference was in danger of widening ; and one 
of her strongest desires was to make happy the 
inner, secret life of every family which she en- 
tered. She was a wise, careful woman. But it 
needed all her caution, all her wisdom, so to 
manage this matter as not to widen the division 


106 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


which she wished to cover. I think the Ear 
which notes the sparrow’s fall received that night 
Aunt Cornelia’s prayer for aid in this thing. 
And so it was that Bob, as he came racing 
down the gravel walk next morning, was 
stopped by his aunt, who, with Tom, was tying 
up an ivy-vine in the arbor. 

”Give me one minute, please, you two?” 
she said, standing with a hand upon the shoul- 
der of each, and looking across into the boyish 
faces which met her own with a clear, straight- 
forward glance. The sons of such a father 
could hardly be anything but honest, what- 
ever other faults they might have. 

" I will not ask pardon for speaking to you of 
this subject, though it’s not a pleasant one. 
But I mention it because it is best, I’m sure. 
Tom, and you. Bob, there’s something between 
you two which ought to be changed, for your 
own sakes as well as for the sake of your 
friends. Can you guess what I mean? ” 

" Quarreling ! ” 


CROOKED THINGS STRAIGHTENED, 


107 


Bickering ! ” 

Frankly and quickly from Bob. A trifle 
more slowly, but not a whit the less honestly, 
from Tom. 

'' I see you understand ! ” 

" Nobody knows better than I do ! ” ex- 
claimed Tom. 

" And nobody’s more confoundedly sorry 
about it than I am ! ” chimed in Bob. 

And I suppose you both feel that the other 
is most at fault, and I suppose you would either 
of you confess that you yourself are not blame- 
less?” 

The eyes said yes, and Aunt Cornelia went 
on : — 

^Now, Tom, suppose, if I were to ask you, 
which of all the boys in school you were most 
fond of, you would have no difficulty in de- 
ciding ? ” 

''Why, Bob, of course ! ” 

Tom’s face said, "Is thy servant a dog?” 


108 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONCh-GOINGS. 


'^And you, Bob, could easily tell me who is 
the nearest of them all to you ? ” 

” I should rather think so, old fellow ! ” which 
last appellation, manifestly, was not aimed at 
Aunt Cornelia. 

"Very well. Now will you please to tell 
me, do you not, every day of your lives, each 
compel the other to put up with rudeness and ill 
manners such as would get you into serious 
trouble with other boys ? ” 

"Why, yes, aunty. But we are brothers ! ’’ 
"And that is the reason why you should 
abuse each other ! Think of it ! What a 
reason ! Because my brother loves me, and I 
love him, therefore I will compel him to en- 
dure all kinds of rough treatment from me, and 
he shall consider me unworthy of the trouble 
of paying the common civilities of life ! ” 

There was a pause. Tom and Bob looked 
foolish enough. Really this was a singular view 
of the case. 

"Now, then, my boys, you are old enougli 1to 


r 


CROOKED THINGS STRAIGHTENED. 109 

decide in this matter for yourselves. If you 
come to the conclusion that this sparring, 
bickering way is the best way of getting on, 
then I will interfere with it no more. But if 
you decide that it is better to carry your best 
gold of word and deed where your choicest af- 
fections can go too, where your home will be 
made happier and every one in it by the change, 
— if you do come to this decision, then I shall 
need no one to tell me of it.” 

She was gone, — the boys hardly knew how 
or where. But Tom himself was the first to 
face square about upon his brother with : — 

I say. Bob, Aunt Cornelia’s right. Let’s 
give the thing a trial.” 

" With all my heart, Tom. What’s the use 
of making an adversative conjunction of our- 
selves ? ” 

" ’Twas my fault always. Bob ! ” 

" Stuff and nonsense ! No such thing, old 
fellow!” 


tell you. Bob,” said Tom, "aunty prac- 


no 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


tices what she preaches. The world wouldn’t 
be what it is if every woman would keep up 
such a sunshine in-doors as she does.” 

" That’s the truth, Tom ! ” 

And the two started off around the hedge- 
walk, arm-in-arm, keeping step as two boys do, 
with alert, firm tread. Aunt Cornelia, from 
her upper window catching a glimpse of the 
twain striding off together, drew a long breath 
of relief, and sent a whispered blessing after 
them as they went. 




CHAPTEE VII. 

THE SEWING-BEE. 

SHEEEY, what a queer girl you 
are ! ” 

” Dear me, Helena ! Don’t you 
think I’m tired hearing that? I 
wish, with all my heart, that I’d been born a 
boy.” 

Sherry took her tin luncheon-box, and seated 
herself upon a desk. She could command a 
good view of her audience up there, a dozen 
girls being scattered about in the room. It was 
the noon recess of Mrs. Loring’s school. 

” Why, Sherry, what’s got into you to wish 

that?” asked Helena, passing a sandwich from 

her own box to her friend. " I brought it for 

111 



112 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


you. Dinah’s sandwiches are famous, you 
know,” she •said in parenthesis. 

''.Why do I wish I was a boy? Because, IVe 
spent half my days, and all my strength, trying 
to be like other girls ; an’ if I’d been a boy I 
should have been saved all that fuss, and the 
failure at the end of it.” 

There was an odd mixture of fun and of ear- 
nestness in Sherry’s face and manner. 

" It’s the same story all ’round. At home it 
is, 'Lucretia, if you could be a little more sub- 
dued ! ’ That’s mamma. Papa cries despair- 
ingly, ' Sherry, when you do learn to enter 
the parlor with any propriety, I shall be glad ! ’ 
And at school it is, 'O Sherry! what a 
funny girl you are ! ’ Oh, dear me ! I’m such a 
goose that I don’t know when I’m at my 
goosiest I True ! ” And the girl took out her 
semicircle of a comb, and put it in again, thus 
drawing all her coarse hair away from her high 
forehead, and showing, to the full, a comical 
face, with the oddest little upstart of a nose. 


THE SEWING-BEE. 


113 


Sherry had precious little beauty to value her- 
self upon, unless it was a set of the very whit- 
est and hardest conceivable teeth, which her 
generous mouth allowed to be generously dis- 
played. 

" However,” she said, " never mind about 
that. The next thing to being handsome is to 
be gloriously ugly ; and I flatter myself I don’t 
lack much of that. Bernie Ashton ! what do 
you put your hair ’way up on the top of your 
head for ? ” 

"Because I choose to,” answered Bernie, with 
stiffness. 

"Oh, that’s it, is it? Glad I know!” And 
Sherry fished up a sardine from the bottom of 
her lunch-tin. 

And hereupon there began the usual babel of 

tongues, in regard to which the chief wonder 

was, that any one could take any single thread 

and distinguish it from the rest. How Fanny 

Tyler was surely going to be married now, for 

Hallie Mix said the Tylers’ cook sent over to 
8 


114 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


them that very morning to borrow cake-tins. 
And borrowing cake-tins always meant a wed- 
ding. Hereat Bernie Ashton wonders why 
they don’t send to New York and get cake, 
flowers, waiters, and everything, as they did 
when Mollie was married. Mollie’s marriage 
had been Bernie’s principal item for conversa- 
tion for two months back. " And mamma says 
she shall always do that way when any of us are 
married.” 

"Of ws/” quoted Sherry, significantly; but 
the indomitable Bernie went on without mind- 
ing:— 

"Be sure, it costs a heap o’ money, but it’s so 
much easier, and who minds money when — 
Well, I mean, Mollie always did say she’d have 
her carriage when .she was married.” 

" Pity she hadn’t married a livery stable- 
keeper ! ” puts in the unquenchable Sherry. It 
is well known that Mollie Ashton might as well 
have done that, for any sympathy there is 
between her and her liege lord. 


THE SEWING-BEE. 


115 


” Don’t interrupt,” says Bernie. "Sherry 
Van, you are so provoking ! ” 

"So are you.” 

" I won’t talk to you. Sherry,” 

" Glad of it. It’ll he a mighty saving of time 
for both of us ; ” which, considering that Bernie 
is an everlasting talker, and never knows when 
her friends want her to finish her story, tells 
rather roughly. 

"Never mind. Have a coal, Bernie?” asks 
Sherry, holding out a cruller, and alluding to 
Belle Farley’s quoting " heaping coals of fire 
upon his head,” to them the day before. 

" O girls ! ” puts in Belle, as Bernie accepts 
the cruller, and brightens a trifle. " I called in 
at Mrs. Clintock’s as I came to school, and I 
saw her new baby.” 

"Pretty?” 

" I couldn’t tell much, because it was asleep. 
They say it’s a beauty, though.” 

Of course. Babies are all beauties. But I 
should think Max Clintock would be sorry.” 


116 


SnORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


Max ? ” said Helena. 

’'To be sure. Don’t you know? He helps 
his mother about everything,” said Sherry. 
"He calls them all 'his family,’ and he told 
mamma, laughing, not long ago, that there was 
nothing that a woman had to do that he couldn’t 
do.” 

"How good of him ! Funny, too, isn’t it?” 

"Yes, indeed ! ” said Belle, closing her lunch- 
eon-box, and brushing the crumbs carefully 
from her' desk. "Why, didn’t T tell you, 
when I went there last week, that Max had on 
his mother’s apron, and was making sponge 
cake ? ” 

" Max says he thinks he shall make a capital 
husband ; ” and Sherry hopped down from her 
perch on the desk, and began pacing the school- 
room. 

" He told me that he was fearfully behind- 
hand about his spring sewing. He runs the 
macliine, and Bob says Max hadn’t a bit of 


THE SEWING-BEE, 


117 


trouble learning, because the movement is next 
thing to rocking the cradle.” 

Oh, that isn’t bad now ! And, O girls ! I’ve 
got an idea ! ” 

" Let’s have it this minute, before it’s lost,” 
cried Bernie. 

" Let’s make Max Clintock a donation 
party ! ” 

” Yes, and a sewing-bee ! ” added Helena. 

'' S^Dlendid ! Why didn’t we ever think of 
that before ? What stupids we were ! ” and 
Belle Farley’s eyes brightened at the proposal. 

"Worse than the Arabs, weren’t we? And 
now what under tha sun is to hinder our doing 
the thing right off?” and Sherry laid hold of 
Belle, and shook her vigorously to show her 
enthusiasm. 

" Cloth ! ” from Helena’s desk. 

"I’ll tell you what, — ” Sherry stopped and 
pulled out the semicircular comb again. This 
operation always seemed to assist her thinking 
faculties. 


118 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


”Well! What?” 

Mamma told me, last winter, that I might 
have all the muslin I would make into garments. 
And I reckon she’d not come back on me 
here ! ” 

A little slang was such a safety-valve to 
Sherry Van. 

” I think Aunt Cornelia would give us some 
cambric, and other material. I’ll ask her.” 

" And then we’ll have our day, and we’ll go 
and see how much we can do.” 

'' Girls, I haven’t much money to spend, you 
all know,” said Mary Agnew, in her low, sweet 
way. ” But I’ll go and sew ^11 day, and I can 
do button-holes famously. Mother has been 
teaching me.” 

" O Mary, that’s better than anything else ! 
I was thinking of that this minute. For those 
small people must have no end of button-holes.” 

There was no trouble in getting home consent 
to this novel plan. It was a bright solution to 
a problem which had recently suggested itself to 


THE SEWING-BEE. 


119 


the elders, how the little Clintocks should be 
fitted out for the summer with the least fuss. 
There was no such thing as making a charity 
matter of it ; and this gave the whole more the 
appearance of a good joke than anything else. 

The parsonage was a large, gambrel-roofed 
house, painted yellow, standing back from the 
street, in a deep yard, down which a broad path, 
shaded by eight century-old elms, led to the 
front door. Under these elms the girls col- 
lected for their sewing-bee. There had been 
some discussion as to the time of meeting. 

” Afternoon, of course,” said Bernie. 

”I don’t know why it’s of course. We’re 
going to work. What’s the sense of waiting 
till the time for working is gone by, and every- 
body is tired out or baked by the sun. I say 
eight o’clock in the morning.” 

”Why, Sherry Van! Nobody ever heard 
of such a thing.” 

”So much the better. We can have the 
comfort of knowing that we’ve originated some- 


120 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


thing, then ! An’ that’s more’n everybody can 
do.” 

" But, Sherry, the idea of dressing up at that 
time of day ! ” said Bernie, thinking of her 
white organdie in dismay. 

"Who said anything about dress? ’Tisn’t a 
dress party, you’ll please to understand. If 
only our rig is whole and clean, we shall pass 
muster; ” and Sherry turned her apron around 
right side before. 

" I’d advise you to look out for those two 
items in yours. Sherry,” said Bernie, waspishly. 
She could not forgive Sherry for not knowing 
her real lace from imitation. 

"That’s a fact!” said this young woman, 
honestly. And, in truth, there was some dan- 
ger in this respect, for, even provided that 
Sherry left home in apple-pie order, there was 
no certainty that she might not climb a tree to 
rescue an unfortunate kitten, or to take back a 
fallen bird’s nest, or even wade a brook for her 


THE SEWING-BEE, 


121 


own amusement, and so come down, or come 
out, with dress torn and soiled. 

The Wednesday morning came, as clear and 
bright as though the world had put on a new 
dress of yellow sunshine manufactured espe- 
cially for the occasion, and with it a dozen 
girls in the freshest cambrics, the daintiest 
prints and piques, the most immaculate aprons, 
redolent of starch and bewitching with fluted 


ruffles. There were no flounces, no fineries. 
But there were plenty of spotless linen collars 
and cuffs about round white necks and dimpled 
wrists, and here and there peeped out a dainty 
bow, blue, cherry, or lilac, from the midst of 
brown curls or black braids. Withal it was the 
gayest, happiest company in the world, and Dr. 
Clintock, peeping out his study window, smiled 
at the glimpses of bright color flitting in and out 
among the elm-tree holies, as though the old 
lawn had waxed jovial and blossomed in pink, 
purple, and azure. 

"iKF^w, you know, girls, — ” up spoke Sherry, 


122 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


— ” that Belle Farley’s going to matronize us ! 
It’s half because she’s -the oldest and knows the 
most, and the other half because she’s the wisest 
and best, as everybody agrees.” 

” Then, you know. Belle’s brought her machine, 
and Bob to work it ! ” 

” Mind, I only got in as part of the machine,” 
said Bob, threading his needle dexterously. 
*'And, Sherry, you’re going to run Max’s 
machine, aint you?” 

" Yes, I suppose so. Belle is going to tie me 
down to something, lest I should fly off in a tan- 
gent like a sky-rocket, you know ! ” and Sherry 
popped down into her chair opposite Bob, upon 
the platform that had been raised for their two 
machines and the work-table. 

"D’ you e-v-e-r?” quoth Bernie, prolonging 
the last word past all precedent, as she watched 
Sherry’s antics, then smoothed her own drapery in 
a becoming manner, then glaneed up to see what 
effect they both had upon Bob. For this young 
lady was not blind to her own attractions, and, 


THE SEmNG-BEE, 


123 


having heard more nonsense about balls and 
beaux than was at all good for her, spent quite 
too much time in computing her own powers of 
fascination, and in counting up her victims. I 
am sorry to mention such flimsy nonsense in such 
a natural, healthy atmosphere. But it was a liv- 
ing fact that Bernie was not loth to get Bob 
Farley upon the list of her adorers, and, failing 
in the case of the young man with the very big 
cane and the very weak moustache, who just 
now was rusticating at Elder Gatlin’s, she was 
fain to attract the lad of fifteen now hard at work 
at the sewing-machine. 

Mrs. Mather and Mrs. Van Vanvalkenburg, 
Sherry’s mother, had been busy planning and 
cutting, for the last two days, and here, on the 
table, lay the piles of small clothes, ready for 
basting. Helena, with three others, set them- 
selves about this latter business, while the rest 
received the work from the machine, finished 
hemming, gathering, button-holes, etc. 

” Which side do button-holes go on ? ” asked 


124 SHORT-COMlNGS^ AND LONG-GOINGS.' 

Bernie .Ashton, whose sewing was limited to 
rips in her gloves and buttons on her boots. 
” I never can remember.” 

"I’ll tell you something to help you remember. 
Did you never hear of the minister who prayed 
that none of his hearers might be found on the 
button-hole side? Now Belgie thinks that’s 
wicked.” .Bob’s reference drew all eyes upon 
his sister, who sat bending over a little dimity 
apron. 

" O Belle ! you don’t, do you? ” 

"Not exactly wicked. Sherry; but I don’t 
just like it. However, I like even that better 
than ill-tempered speeches.” 

" If Belle Farley has a hobby, it’s crossness,” 
said Bernie. "'But, Belle dear, will .you tell 
me about my button-holes? They look like 
round 'O’s’!” 

"Miss Lizzie Jenks will tell you, Bernie. 
Do you know her ? ” < 

"I wasn’t aware there was any such person,” 
answered the silly girl, trying to be dignified. 


THE SEmNG‘BEE. 


125 


aud giving the lie to her speech by squinting 
superciliously toward the very young lady men- 
tioned. 

Don’t, dear, make your eyes any smaller’n 
they actually are,” said Sherry. ”You really 
can’t afford to do it, I do assure you.” 

"N’o, don’t !” chimed in the opposite sewing 
machinist, less chivalrous than common ; don’t, 
I beg of you, Bernie ! for the Chinese are coming 
into the country, and your nationality will 
be doubtful.” 

Poor Bernie ! She was well paid for her 
pride, for her features were rather of the Mon- 
golian type, and she had been told of it often 
enough. Now she was only too glad to escape 
to the corner where Helena was chatting com- 
fortably with two young women from the farms, 
Lizzie and Sarah Jenks. Modest girls they 
were, with very heavy aud very unfashionably 
soft, smooth hair, and pink muslin dresses just 
alike. Bernie did not fancy them, because they 
were not "stylish,” — an intangible term which 


126 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


she considered particularly applicable to herself, 
and certainly not • appropriate to Miss Jenks. 
The young lady in question, however, was 
better posted in the matter of button-holes than 
Bernie Ashton, and, as she helped cheerfully, 
the two did not get on badly. ‘ 

wish sewing was taught in school, as it 
used to be,” said Helena, who was in this cor- 
ner. "Grandmamma Linnell says, when she 
•was a little girl, every teacher had to show that 
she had made a shirt well.” 

"Wonder how they found out, and who was 
the judge,” said Bob. 

" Yes ; just fancy a prudential committee, like 
Col. Tracy, running to his wife with a shirt, to 
see if it was made well.” 

" But, Sherry, they used to sew in those days, 
you may be sure ! Look at Grandmamma 
Linnell’s gathering, — counting the threads, 
over four, and under two. Isn’t it exquisite? ” 

"But I don’t see,” said- Belle, " that we’ve not 
just as much to do as our grandmothers had, when 


THE SEWING-BEE. 


127 


everything was shorn, and spun, and woven, 
and sewed by hand ! ” 

"Think of it!” 

" Yes ; and when machines were introduced 
people were distressed, and said poor folks 
would be thrown out of employment. But it 
isn’t so, — we only flounce, and frill, and furbe- 
low all the more.” 

" Oh, see here I ” 

There was a great uprising to meet and greet 
a little round, rosy woman, with a bundle done 
up in a white cambric, and new, blue-white 
flannel. One corner was turned over, and a 
small face, somewhat red and very scowling, 
was exhibited. 

" Oh, the little pet I ” " The darling ! ” 
Precious,” — but I spare my friends an index 
of the caresses. 

"Bless my heart!” cried Bob. "What a 
w^aste of sweetness ! Here’s this little skimpey 
don’t care a fig ! An’ when he’s big enough to 
appreciate it, then he won’t get it ! ” whereat 


128 SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 

Bernie made her eyes big at Bob, and called him 
" a dreadful boy ! ” 

But I must not omit Max Clintock himself, 
who came out presently, leading a two-years-old 
baby sister. Not in the least a chicken-pecked- 
looking boy was Max. There was no stoop of 
the shoulders, and no line between the eyes. 
But he carried his head erect, and looked all the 
world, even to Belle Farley, a girl whom he 
very much liked, square in the face, 

Of course there was the usual amount of gos- 
sip, the most among those who met every day : 
how Phil Vincent had come home from Sara- 
toga, and brought photographs of twelve young 
ladies ; how the people who had been boarding 
at Mrs. Mason’s were Lord and Lady Selkirk ; 
and Lady Selkirk’s coachman came to Mrs. 
Sears’s front door this morning, to ask for a cup 
of coffee and a cracker for his mistress, because 
Mrs. Mason had treated her with such insolence 
that she could not taste another mouthful in her 
house. Moreover, it was asserted, on grounds 


THE SEWING-BEE. 


129 


known to be authentic, that his lordship was so 
afraid of the dark, that he had gone into Samp- 
son’s, regularly, to hire a boy to walk home 
with him at night; that Lady Selkirk had an 
entire bureau devoted to night-caps, and they 
were every one of them labeled with the month 
and year that she wore each last ; that her maid, 
who couldn’t read, frequently had to trot back 
and forth six times before the proper head-gear 
was found ; that there were rumors of a ghost 
flitting about the old graveyard on Mechanic 
Street ; that a close carriage was seen to drive in 
there, at midnight, one night last week, and 
somebody heard, or imagined she heard, mufl[led 
screams, and since then there had been a 
woman missing, from somewhere, nobody was 
certain where ; and then Bob ungallantly re- 
marked that he hadn’t noticed but there were 
just as many about as ever. 

The work went on, and so did tongues and 
time. And now Max and Bob superintended the 

laying of a table under the trees. 

9 


ir.O SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 

"'Because, you know, you didn’t open your 
doors, only your gates, to us,” cries Sherry ; and 
just then comes Miss Silence and Tenty to 
empty the large, covered baskets which- had 
either come with or followed the girls. 

"If you need any help, you know who to call 
on ; ” and Sherry puts in her comb, preparatory 
to a change of base. 

"" Sherry has been dying to get at those bas- 
kets, the last hour.” 

"Of course, Bernie ! Why not? Such jolly 
things as you always bring ! I heard Aunt Fan 
say, only yesterday, that your cook was known 
as the best in town ; ” which stroke of diplomacy 
quite appeased Bernie, and made her good- 
tempered for the next half hour. 

But who shall describe the delights of our 
table under the elms, that June day? What 
pen can do justice to those dainty biscuit, — 
bits of white sponge in caps of brown and tunics 
of gold? — the platters of tongue, circular slices 
of pinkish-gray temptation ? — the tender 


TRE SEWING-BEE, 


131 


chicken, the delicious ham, pyramids of sponge 
qake, piled block upon block, light as air?- — 
and, best of all, the crystal dishes crimsoned 
with the round, red strawberries, gleaming 
through, — those dishes flanked on either side 
with bowls of sugar and pitchers of rich, yellow 
cream, which latter was the gift of Lizzie and 
Sarah Jenks? All this is beyond any poor 
power of mine to represent. 

Sherry flew about, helping every one, — sand- 
wiching the dishes with some bright story or 
odd conceit of her own. Did Belle remember 
their cook, who " stuck the boiled ham full 
of tacks in place of cloves ” ? and did they all 
know the list of the Ham conundrums, — ” Why 
wouldn’t people starve in the Great Desert,” 
,etc. ? 

As for Helena, she collected all the small 
Clintocks in one place, some in high chairs, and 
some perched in common ones, upon volumes 
of "Heniy’s Commentaries,” and fed them. 


132 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


entirely to their satisfaction, and somewhat to 
her own alarm. 

" Belle, dear, do you suppose those small 
people can kill themselves eating?” she whis- 
pered, as Johnny, aged five years, had just now 
applied for his sixth biscuit. For, having had 
little experience with children, Helena had 
erroneously fancied their appetites to bear some 
proportion to their bodily size. Miss Silence, 
being consulted, exclaimed : — 

"Land alive ! No. Let ’em eat when they’re 
hungry, an’ sleep when they’re sleepy, an’ 
they’ll be all straight ! Growin’ childr’n ! They 
must eat ! Bless ’em, little souls ! ” and Miss 
Silence administered a kiss all around. Dear 
Miss Silence ! A good portion of the fondness 
which she would have bestowed on " that young 
man with whom she had anticipated a connection 
in life,” was now lavished upon these little 
people. And I suppose there were few juve- 
niles in Eastburne, between the ages of two and 
twelve years, who were not in the habit of 


THE SEWING-BEE, 


133 


having a "day with Miss Silence” placed among 
the choicest rewards of good conduct. And 
why not? Didn’t she let them have her own 
little blue and white china tea-set ? and did she 
not bake little loaves of bread, and small cookies 
in fanciful shapes, of men, women, and meetin- 
houses, for them to play company with ? to say 
nothing of golden butter, molded into the shape 
of the dearest yellow duck ! O Miss Silence ! 
I shall never have done, if once I begin to sound 
your praises in detail ! 

The sun went down behind Vesper Cliff. The 
shadows of the elms grew taller, and the shadows 
of Bob and Sherry, at the machines, stretched 
far out, like spectral shapes of the Brocken, tall 
and fearful. 

The night fell, and the carriages came, and 
the girls went singing home, trilling their good- 
night air, which the frogs echoed down in the 
marshy lowlands, and the whippoorwill, over in 
the gloomy shade of the bluff, in answer, sent 
his dirge-like wail up to Altana’s grave. 


134 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


But such piles of completed work as they left 
behind them, the gambrel-roofed parsonage had 
not seen for many a long summer’s day. Max 
took his mother in his arms and ran into the 
house with her, and all the children followed, 
hallooing and hooting more like wild papooses 
than like Christian babes. 




CHAPTEE VIII. 

MEASLES. 

OMETHING the matter with Flor- 
ence ? ” 

There was skepticism in Aunt Cor- 
nelia’s rising inflection ; but, just at 
that instant, a disconsolate little figure flung 
itself upon the hall sofa. - A general limpness 
of hands and feet, a flush not born of racing, 
and ail expression of universal disgust, — these 
were Flossy’s symptoms. And it was but ten 
o’clock in the morning ! 

” Hot all over, and then cold all over. Oh, 
dear!” 

Flossy’s small nose went up. It always went 

up as her spirits went down. She 'Helt like X,” 

135 



136 ^SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


she said, and this was a very bad condition for 
Flossy. There was only one lower deep, and 
that was '' feeling like X and Z.” The little 
one was manifestly fast approaching this latter 
pass, when a dark figure shut out the light of 
the open hall door. Tenty, towering aloft in her 
gingham sun-bonnet, a basket of currants on her 
arm, was coming through the hall. She stopped 
in front of the sofa, gave its occupant one 
searching glance, and said ; — 

" Measles ! ” 

”You don’t mean it, Tenty?” said Mrs. 
Mather. 

"Don’t your eyes feel bad. Flossy? ” 

As if I’d got sticks into ’em,” growled the 
owner of the small nose, which was going up 
more and more, and the spirits were visibly 
declining. 

" Is your throat sore, dearie ? ” 

"No.” . 

"Well, ’tought to be! An’ ’twill be, if 
’taint ! ” 


MEASLES, 


137 


The next instant the gingham sun-bonnet lay 
in the basket of currants, and its owner, with the 
child raised high upon her stalwart shoulders, 
walked steadily up stairs. 

If there was anything which raised the spirits 
of this excellent woman, it was a crisis. She 
was bright upon ordinary occasions ; on extraor- 
dinary ones she was luminous. House-cleaning 
was her delight, and a fire, provided the suf- 
ferers were well insured, was elysium. Lack- 
ing these, few things could have been more wel- 
come than the prospect of measles in the 
house. 

''You haint had ’em, a single one of ye. 
So’t will make a clean sweep ! ” 

This was the only ejaculation that Tenty 
uttered, as she seized Florence and hustled her 
off to bed at ten o’clock in the morning. As for 
this little woman herself, she was in some per- 
plexity as to her duty in the matter of devo- 
tions. Ought she, or ought she not, to say her 
prayers, on being sent to bed in 'the day-time? 


138 


SnORT^COMINGS AND LONG-GOINQS, 


and was the morning or evening formula in 
order? However, as a bowl of saffron tea 
arrived just at that juncture, and she was bidden 
to " drink it all down and not wink ! ” she 
decided to compromise the matter by saying 
them to herself afterwards. This she did, con- 
scientiously, after Tenty had gone down, leav- 
ing every blind, shutter, and curtain closed, in 
case of weak eyes, and leaving, also. Belle on 
guard, vice herself returned to her basket of 
currants. 

" Now I know what I had that saffron planted 
for, ’long side o’ the summer-sav’ry ! ” 

" Humph ! You’ve had it planted these dozen 
years, I should say,”* replied Dinah, not prepared 
to appreciate Tenty’s prescience in this partic- 
ular. 

" Be sure I have ! Kuew’t they’d come some 
time ; an’ when Bat says to me, says he, ' Tenty, 
you’ve planted that ’ere saffron ever since I come 
here. Let it go this year.’ — 'No, sir,’ says I. 
'More reason why we shall want it this year.’ 


MEASLES, 


139 


An’ here we be ! An’ we shall want every spear 
on’t, or I’m mistaken. Master Bob’s dark com- 
plected, an’ it’ll go powerful hard with him, if I 
know anything ’bont ’em ! ” and Tenty bustled 
about in a chaos of brass kettles, sugar-tubs, 
and bright-red currants, singing to herself an 
old Scotch tune, in a minor key ; — 

“ My darling from the power of dogs, — 

My darling from the power of dogs ; ” 

crooning the words over and over again until 
Dinah, whose ideas of Scotch psalmody were 
obscure, concluded that "the darling” referred 
to the little invalid up stairs, and that "the 
power of dogs ” was in some mysterious way 
connected with measles. 

The history of the Farley family, for the next 
fortnight, was not unlike a record of hospital 
life. The contagion was ascertained to have 
come through Norah, Flossy’s nurse. She had 
brought the disease from her sister’s family, and 
distributed it quite generously here. 


140 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


” I caught the measles first ! ” exclaimed 
Flossy, exultantly. The child seemed to con- 
sider that it was the result of some superior 
aptitude on her part, as much as though she had 
learned the multiplication-table, or gotten 
through the catechism first. Three days more, 
and the upper hall opened into four sick rooms. 
Helena, Tom, and, last, Mrs. Mather herself, 
gave up to the disease. Florence was very ill. 
The rest, not. 

Comfortably sick ! ” snarled Tom. " That’s 
what I am, according to Doctor Phelps. I’d 
like to see myself uncomfortably sick then, just 
for the fun of the thing ! ” and the patient em- 
phasized his remark by a twitch of the bed- 
clothing. 

''Pray don’t, dear !” said Belle, setting things 
right again, and trying to soothe the irritable 
boy. 

" Oh, bother ! Don’t talk as if you were 
putting on a poultice. I tell you, I’m mighty 
uncomfortable I I could get along if they’d let 


MEASLES. 


141 


me read. That’s just an old woman’s whim, 
about eyes, I know. I verily believe that 
Tenty put it into the doctor’s head.” 

*'Let me read to you,” suggested Belle, 
sweetly. 

"No, they’ve made my room so abominably 
dark that no person can see to read. Besides, 
they’re calling you.” 

" Miss Belle ! I’m afraid Florence is worse. 
She’s all out of her head. Just listen.” 

The nurse was carrying the delirious child in 
her arms, and the hoarse utterance and wander- 
ing speech were fearful to listen to. Bob was 
despatched for the physician. The night closed 
in, and Belle reluctantly left her little sister to 
the care of Nurse Cheney and the trusty Tenty. 
"You know. Miss Belle, we shall need you to- 
morrow. So, your only way is to get rest 
to-night.” 

And Belle kissed the parched lips for the last 
time that night, looked into the wild, unanswer- 
ing cycSy kissed her once and again, for the two 


142 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


loving ones three thousand miles aWay, and then 
left her. Not to sleep, hut she remembered 
her father’s rule : " Lie still, and keep your 
eyes closed, and it’s just half as well as sleep- 
ing.” And thus she lay there all night long, 
dreading to hear, and yet afraid not to hear, the 
confused ravings of the sick child. 

” Poor little bairn ! ” whispered Tenty , gently. 
It was strange how, in sorrow or sickness, this 
woman’s memory flashed back along the years, 
to the low house among the high Vermont hills, 
where she had first seen the light, — where the 
quaint terms of the mother country had em- 
bodied all kind and loving thoughts. So, in 
the shadowy room, she sang low an old Scotch 
ballad : — 

“ ’Twae the dead o’ night, an’ the bairnies grat, 

Their mither she under the mools hurd that ; ” 

singing, and then listening for the doctor’s 
wheels on the gravel. The sound did not 
come, and as the night waned, the little one 
sank into a restless sleep, while the two old 


MEASLES. 


143 


women sat watching, through the flickering 
shadows, that wee, sufiering face. 

” I had my doubts ! I had my doubts ! ” and 
Tenty’s head swayed despondently from side to 
side, keeping time to the motion of the feather 
fan which was always brought out on such oc- 
casions as this. 

"'You don’t say so, Tenty ! ” exclaimed Nurse 
Cheney. Not that she meant to contradict 
Tenty. By no means. But Nurse Cheney’s 
conversation was ejaculatory in its character, as 
will be seen. Her interjections gave her quite 
a reputation for affability. 

** Yes, I tell you, this child’s been too bright 
and smart to live. And then, — well, — 
I’ve seen what I’ve seen ! ” Tenty drew a great 
sigh, and the nurse said : — 

" How you talk ! ” 

”Yes. It was a night not long ago. Flossy 
was a-sleepin’ in her little crib just ’long side o’ 
my bed; an’ somethin’ ’r other waked me up 
’long in the night, and the'*e I see her just’s 


144 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


plain’s I see your cap-border this minute ; — 
I see a woman in a long, white robe, a-bendin’ 
over that child’s head ! ” 

" No ! ” 

"True’s I live and breathe,” said Tenty, 
rapidly running over the above formula, by way 
of strengthening her affirmation. " Then I kind 
o’ riz up in end, an’ says I, ' Mrs. Mather ! ’ 
Ther’ wa’n’t any answer, only she sort o’ turned 
round her back to me.” 

" Oh, my ! You make me all of a tremble ! ” 
"Then I spoke again, and she didn’t say a 
word, only kind o’ stepped back, and slid out o’ 
the room like moonshine. An’ I felt her white 
dress brush my fingers as she went. The next 
mornin’ I laid it to Mrs. Mather, an’ she said 
she was locked into her own room all night. 
So there ’tis ! ” said Tenty, looking myste- 
rious. 

" What do you s’pose it was ? ” 

Tenty did not deign to speak for a moment. 
Then she said : — 


MEASLES. 


145 


"Don’ know nothin’ ’tall ’bout it; but I’ve 
had my own feelin’s ever since regardin’ this 
’ere little lamb.” And Tenty tearfully arranged 
the pillows, and put ice on the burning brow. 
That moment the small mantel clock struck for 
two. 

" Mamma ! Mamma dear ! ” moaned the 
little sufferer. "Hear the bell toll. Who’s 
dead? A little girl, mamma?” Tenty shook her 
head at Nurse Cheney, and Nurse Cheney formed 
her lips into a noiseless interjection. 

" And what’s that little coffin for. Belle ? Two 
little coffins? Oh, dear me! I’m so sick!” 
she sighed, as Tenty took her in her strong 
arms, and paced the room with her. 

" She’s had her warning ! ” 

"Yes. I’ve nursed hundr’ds of sick childr’n, 
an’ I’ve allers minded’t they never git well after 
they begin to talk that kind o’ talk ; ” and Nurse 
Cheney consoled herself from her snuff-box. 

Then the two old tongues, being loosed, ran 

eagerly and rapidly over the details of their 
10 


146 


SHORT-COMINOS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


ghostly experience. What is the reason, I 
wonder, that we always hope a ghost story is 
true ? I do not believe a ghost ever walked or 
talked. But, in spite of that, I confess I wish I 
had been there to hear those two old crones 
croak. I think I should, as Nurse Cheney did, 
have leaned forward, open-mouthed, and de- 
voured every word that Tenty uttered. How 
her gran’mither had seen a ghaist,” or a ” war- 
lock,” or something of the sort, ''with her ain 
blessed eyes ; ” how her cousin " had a great 
friend, one Elder Campbell, who used to come 
to the house an’ spend every Wednesday morn- 
in’ with her ; an’ ther’ came a certain Wednesday 
mornin’, and they looked out an’ saw the elder 
a-comin’ through the gate, cocked hat, knee 
breeches, and all as usual. 'Eun, Tenty, an’ 
open the door for the elder ! ’ ” her cousin had 
said. And she had run and opened the door, 
but there was no man there ! Only a wind blew 
cold in her face, — so cold, though it was mid- 
summer. And she had run back and told her 


MEASLES. 


147 


cousin ; and that afternoon Neighbor Graham 
had come in, and said, "Aint it awful about 
Elder Campbell ? He was carried off by a 
stroke at ten o’clock this mornin’ ! ” 

" How you talk ! ” came again from the big 
chair. 

" An’ ther’ was another that happened to me 
myself, as I sat readin’ my Testament on a Sab- 
ba-day momin’l I looked up, an’ atween me’n 
the window, I could see the shadow of a man’s 
face, — big Eoman nose, bushy eye-brows, long 
chin, — such a face as I never see before. But 
when Caleb Williams came next week to ask my 
sister Meg for his third wife, I knew him by the 
Eoman nose, an’ the bushy eye-brows, an’ the 
long chin; and I bid Meg have naught to do 
with him. But Meg was awful set in her way ; 
-—she always would have her own way. She 
was set in her way, my sister Meg was. An’ 
she did marry him, and trouble enough he 
brought her ! ” 

All these, and many more of the same kind, 


148 


SnORT-COMlNGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


the ” skrimping noises ” which she had heard, 
and what they had brought of wonder or misfor- 
tune, — these Tenty detailed, and Nurse Cheney 
listened, while the little burning face rolled 
painfully on its pillow between them. And 
Belle, in her white bed across the hall, lay 
wakeful, with closed eyes, and prayed for the 
morning. 

It broke at last, regal in purple and gold, 
coming up throned upon the everlasting hills, 
with half the world kneeling at its feet. Who 
does not remember such a waking ? The grad- 
ual coming on of the dawn, from black to gray, 
from gray to gold, over a house dark with the 
shadow of a great sorrow? Every one walked 
with quiet feet. Belle came in her white wrap- 
per, hardly whiter than her anxious, questioning 
face. The doctor came, and next, and best of 
all, Grandmamma Linnell. 

''I couldn’t sleep for thinking of you, and 
here I am ! ” And the dear old creature tied a 


MEASLES, 


149 


white apron over her black gown, and took 
possession. 

If anything’ll save her, it’U be grand- 
mamma ! ” said Dr. Phelps. Such days as those 
were ! The family never, never forgot them. 
Darkened rooms, muffled bells, hushed steps, 
closed piano, shaded bird-cage, low voices, faces 
white with the weight below, which tugged all 
the life-blood away to the heart, — this, and 
more than all this, those prayers which hardly 
took form in words, because every breath was a 
prayer, — this was the memory of those days 
which remained to Belle. 

And, through them all, the central figure 
around which every thought and every prayer 
clustered, the wide, white bed in the dim cham- 
ber, and the chair where grandmamma sat hour 
after hour, — they never forgot these. 

And the days waxed and waned, and the 
short summer nights, upon their starry wings, 
flew over all the great, glad world outside, until 
the fourth morning dawned, and the child 


150 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


opened her eyes and cast a quiet glance about, 
and those who watched knew that she was out 
of danger. 

Out of danger ! Through how many a sor- 
rowful house have these words flown like the 
first joyful waking to life and light ! I do not 
need to tell how the w^hole family drew a long 
breath, nor how the well ones stole in to look for 
a moment upon the child. 

" Bob ! IVe had my crisis ! ” 

It was a feeble, but a distinct whisper. 

"You precious little puss!’* answered Bob. 
" I don’t dare touch you ! ” 

Indeed, the thin little face, and the two tiny 
snowdrops of hands, lying helplessly on the 
counterpane, were not the Flossy of old times. 
Poor Bob ! He had held out like a Spartan till 
this. All those dreadful mornings, when he had 
stolen in through the gray dawn to look at his 
little sister, holding her wrist long in his fingers 
to catch the fluttering pulse, he had never let 
his voice tremble. But now he choked suspi- 


MEASLES, 


151 


ciously, and there was no help but to rattle on 
as though tears were unheard of. 

" Oh, that jolly counterpane, with a star in 
the center ! Do you remember our old name for 
it, Belgie?” 

”'The Bethel,’ wasn’t it, from that floating 
chapel with its name, and a star on the flag? ” 

‘it 

" Yes ; and I’ve laughed so many times to 
remember how Tom and I both wanted to sleep 
back side. So we had a rule for a long while, 
that the one who got undressed and jumped over 
the Bethel first, should sleep back side.” 

" You little heathen ! It must have abridged 
your devotions ! ” 

” Oh, we disposed of our prayers beforehand ! 
But, dear me, I must go and see Tom. Send a 
little kiss to him. Flossy? And one to aunty 
and Helena? I’ll carry them all faithfully.” 

" Well, old fellow ! How are you? ” and Bob 
shook hands heartily with his brother. It 
seemed almost as though a fresh installment of 


152 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


health and strength must go into the sick-room 
with this boy, so robust and sturdy he seemed. 

" How does school go ? ” asked Tom, quietly. 

The room was quite dark, but Bob could see, 
as his eyes got wonted to the darkness, that his 
brother’s face had a melancholy look this- morn- 
ing. 

”Oh, so-so. Well as it can be expected to 
go without you;” and Bob began setting the 
bottles from the stand upon the mantel. 

"Don’t,” said Tom, peevishly. "Those hot- ‘ 
ties have .been the torment of my sickness. 
Somebody would come and set them all on the 
mantel, and then the next visitor would put 
them all back on to the stand again. Do let 
’em alone, please. Now what’s the trouble at 
school ? ” • 

"Oh, nothing, only Prof. Zumpt roared out 
at me yesterday. I thought I was going on 
famously, and all at once he hopped up, shriek- 
ing out, ' Dish ish awful ! ’ and before I could 
collect my wits, he shook his long finger at me 


MEASLES, 


153 


with, 'You leetle Farlee boy I I coult teach von 
leetle green parrot wid a red head as muche as 
dat ! ’ ” 

"That sounds just like the professor. He’s 
a grand old fellow though,” said Tom, smiling. 
Tom’s smiles were rare this morning. 

" Of course he is. But you’re needed to save 
this family from lasting disgrace.” 

"Nonsense, Bob ! Anyone would think you 
were the dunce of the school, instead of being 
on the first half dozen.” 

This was the truth. I feel bound in candor 
to tell it, lest some incorrigible sluggard should 
think of shielding himself under the short-com- 
ings of my favorite Bob. Tom was head and 
shoulders above every boy in school in scholar- 
ship. This was the reason, I suppose, w^hy his 
brother always mentioned his own acquirements 
so modestly ; but Bob Farley was a fair 
scholar, besides having an unusual amount of 
general information. 

"What upon earth do you keep it so dark 


154 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


here for ? ” and Bob sprang to draw back the 
curtains. 

" Oh, don’t ! ” said Tom, speaking quickly as 
though in sudden pain, shading his eyes with 
his hand. 

'' Come here. Bob.” 

Bob came across and sat down on the arm of 
his brother’s great chair. Those chairs were a 
feature of the Glencairn sleeping-rooms. High 
backs, low seats, broad-armed, and soft every- 
where ; when you got into one, you suddenly 
became possessed with an inclination to stay in 
it to the end of time. It was so delightful to 
lose sight and feeling of oneself in the great, 
downy cushions. Here Tom was reclining, his 
head thrown back, and his face turned to the 
wall. 

"Bob, I can’t go to school any more ! ” 

" Oh, don’t be so knocked up about it, Tom ! 
We’ll have you all round the lots in a fortnight,” 
said Bob, running his fingers through his 
brother’s long hair. 


MEASLES, 


155 


” 'No ; that’s not it, Bob. I’ve got myself to 
thank for it. But I’ve been reading when I’d 
no business to, and the upshot of it is, that I’ve 
got to let books alone for one while.” 

” Oh, you don’t mean it, my boy ! ” 

The boy looked very much as though he did 
mean it. 

” Oh, I reckon it’s only because you’re down, 
Tom. Eyes are always giving out in this meas- 
ley business ! ” 

Not even this bit of slang had power to rouse 
Tom this morning. His brother noticed this, 
and concluded it was a serious matter. 

"Yes, Dr. Phelps told me, this very morning, 
that I must let books alone for one year at 
least, — perhaps more.” 

" Whew ! That is rather hard on you, isn’t 
it? However, Tom, there’s one comfort. You 
know enough for a round dozen already, and it 
isn’t as though it had happened to some booby 
like myself. But I’m dreadfully sorry to see 
you so knocked up ! ” said Bob, heartily. There 


156 


SRORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


was silence in the darkened room. Tom still 
sat with closed eyes, his head thrown back 
among the cushions of the great chair, while 
Bob sat on the arm and gazed at the red ray of 
sunlight which slanted from the upper hinge 
of the closed shutter to the floor. It was so 
quiet that the buzzing of the solitary fly which 
had eluded Tenty’s vigilance, and kept Tom 
company during his illness, sounded loud and 
shrill through the room. Suddenly there came 
a voice from the depths of the cushions, clear 
and distinct : — 

” Three score and ten kings, having their 
thumbs and their great toes cut ofi*, gathered 
their meat under my table ! ” 

What! Was Tom losing his wits too? 
Bob’s eyes opened wide in the darkness. 

”I was thinking. Bob, it’s the old story, 
measure for measure. My own selfishness and 
conceit it was that did it, and it’s in my selfish- 
ness and conceit that I’ve got to sufier.” 

Then Tom told the whole story. How Flossy 


MEASLES. 


157 


was so ill, and there was no one to mind him. 
And he thought he knew better than nurse or 
physician what his eyes would bear. So he 
drew back the curtains, let in a flood of light, 
and read, — his last, — for the present, cer- 
tainly. That was all. But to the two boys, 
sitting there in the gloom, it seemed a great 
deal. 




CHAPTEE IX. 

CONVALESCENCE AND WISDOM. 

F Aunt Cornelia and Helena have 
been ignored during these troublous 
times, it has been from the fact that, 
shut up in their own rooms which 
opened into each other, they have not required 
our care or attention. Neither being seriously 
ill, they served each other, were society for 
each other, and at length, to the astonishment 
of all beholders, they were discerned, one 
bright morning, coming down stairs, each 
leaning upon the other’s arm. 

As for Florence, having, as she told her 

brother, ''had her crisis,” the strides which she 

158 



CONVALESCENCE AND WISDOM. 


159 


made toward restoration were little short of 
miraculous. 

” That child beats all’t ever I see ! ” cried 
Teuty, all of whose ghostly prophecies had come 
to naught. 

Bob, on his third daily visit to her, was stir- 
prised to find her bolstered up in bed, dressing 
her doll, Frederic. 

"You have wonderful recuperative power,” 
said Bob. " Dr. Phelps says so.” 

A peculiarity of Flossy’s, well known in the 
household, was her admiration for long words. 
They would influence her when everything else 
fliiled, and a request or a command expressed 
in polysyllables, was sure of the readiest at- 
tention from the child. Now she was in ec- 
stasies at " recuperative,” and began practicing 
on it at once. She broke out directly with : — 

" O Bobbins ! I can move my ears ! See 
here ! ” and the little face, wrinkling itself in a 
hundred lines, contrived to move the scalp above 
and the white ears on either side of it. "I 


160 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


found out I could do it this morning,” she said ; 
adding that she could make a " squirrel nose, 
too ; ” and Mrs. Van had sent her the most 
lucicious white grapes.” When Bob left. Flossy 
drew from under her pillow a little card with 
some of her hair wound upon it. She had pulled 
it out as she lay there, and she wanted it "taken 
to poor Tom, with my dear love.” 

The next Sunday all dined together down 
stairs. To be sure, there were white faces, and 
toast was more in request than turkey. But it 
was a cheerful company, though not by any 
means a noisy one. All felt a chastened hap- 
piness, a deep gratitude, remembering how near 
they had come to losing one of their happy 
number. 

As for Bob and Bell^, by one of those unac- 
countable phenomena that are always happening 
and never explaining themselves, neither of 
them showed the slightest symptoms of the, 
disease. 

"The fact was,” said Bob, "I had counted on 


CONVALESCENCE AND TVISDOM. 


161 


being coddled and cosseted to the last degree ; 
and here I’m not likely to get even a kettle of 
porridge.” 

Measles and their sequences made a great 
change in Tom. His eyes,” having been for- 
bidden to examine near objects, lifted them- 
selves, and swept round a broader circle. For 
the first time, he noticed how well Belle carried 
herself, and what a sturdy pair of shoulders Bob 
was getting. He had forgotten that Flossy’s 
hair was so dark, and Tenty’s so white. In 
short, Tom Farley was getting acquainted with 
his family friends. Of course, Helena was in- 
cluded. Hitherto she had been to Tom only 
some one who filled a seat at table, and in the 
school-carriage. Now he perceived how pleas- 
ant her face was, and what a sweet voice she 
had. Any time during the three months which 
had passed since Helena came, she might have 
slipped away, and Tom would not have missed 
her. But he looked outside of self more, now. 

He saw that this ne^ face had a marvelously 
11 


162 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


nice way of lighting at any pleasant thing in 
the table talk or evening reading. 

” What use can I make of her ? ” 

This would have been Tom’s old query ; but 
those weeks of solitary confinement had taught a 
lesson. 

” What a fool I’ve been to be so long remem- 
bering ' the stranger within our gates ! ’ ” and he 
decided to ” draw her out.” This cost Tom no 
slight effort, for he had none of Bob’s sparkle, 
— nothing of that manner, so genial, so debo- 
nair, which was as natural to his brother as the 
air he breathed. As for Helena herself, she had 
stood somewhat in awe of this well-grown boy, 
four years her senior, and wiser by a whole li- 
brary of volumes ; but the sickness and the suf- 
fering had changed all that ; for Helena had the 
real feminine instinct, and, Tom being weak 
and depressed, she took to him as naturally as 
to her kitten. 

” See here, Cousin Tom ! I’ve found some- 
thing to read to you,” cried Helena, as she came 


CONVALESCENCE AND WISDOM. 


1C3 


flying clown stairs one dark morning. She did 
not disclose what was the true state of the case, 
that she had just been besieging Aunt Cornelia 
to find out what would be likely to interest the 
weather-bound convalescent, and that, between 
them, they had fixed upon a recent legal trial, 
which Helena herself was about as much inter- 
ested in as she would have been in the inscrip- 
tions upon the pyramids. Helena had carried 
to Mrs. Mather the bulletin that, "that boy 
was yawning and sighing on the sofa, in the 
depths of the Slough of Despond, and she didn’t 
know a bit what to do with him.” Accordingly 
the selection had been made, and a very satis- 
factory one it proved. 

" I tell you, Helena ! ” and Tom’s face lighted 
up directly, " I tell you, that’s just the grandest 
speech ! ” Tom’s foot was on his native heath 
now. " There’s nothing like the law for show- 
in of what stuff a man’s made of. When I’m a 
few years older I’ll” — He stopped short here, 
and a blackness glided down from the eyes over 


1G4 


SnORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


the face, like a shadow from an afternoon cloud 
sweeping down the side of East Mountain. 

"Oh, I forgot,” he said, heaving a tremendous 
sigh. 

"Forgot what?” said Helena, astonished at 
herself for daring to question the tall stripling. 

. " Forgot what a useless clod I am ! ” he an- 
swered, bitterly; and the sofa upon which he 
was lying received several sharp dents from the 
toe of his slipper. " Books were all I ever did 
know anything about, and now I’m robbed of 
those. I might as well be a fool, and done with 
it!” 

" Oh, no ; don’t say that.” 

"Well, I don’t mean just that I But I tell 
you, Helena, it’s awfully hard to have but one 
prop to stand on, and that struck out from 
under you. But then, I have myself to thank 
for it. ' Well-a-day ! ’ as Tenty says.” Another 
sigh, and a silence. Helena couldn’t think of 
anything worth saying, and so she held her 


CONVALESCENCE AND WISDOM. 


165 


peace, — a bit of wisdom which might serve as 
an example to older people even. 

” It’s mighty little comfort, though, when you 
are in trouble, to reflect that you brought it 
upon yourself. There’s a sort of savage sense 
of justice, though, about it ! ” and Tom tried to 
laugh. 

"But, Tom,” — Helena looked down, braiding 
her four fingers, after her fashion, a sure omen 
of a speech, — "I don’t know much about these 
things, or about anything, for that matter. 
But it seems to me there are other kinds of 
education besides what one gets from books.” 

" Why, yes ; you’re right there ! ” 

" And I’ve heard papa say that it was better 
to know people than to know books ; and I re- 
member, too, his saying that there were many 
of the wonderful scholars in his class in college, 
who dropped out of sight and never were heard 
of afterwards; while those who distinguished 
themselves were sometimes the ones who wero 


1G6 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


ineclium scholars, but had good sense and un- 
derstood human nature.” 

” Hurrah for Nellie ! That’s the longest speech 
of her making on the family record ! ” cried Bob, 
just back from the village, jubilant as usual. 
Tom, for his answer, said ; — 

"You remind me of Tenty’s story of the old 
Scotch divine, who told a young one that, if he 
hadn’t education, he could get it ; if he hadn’t 
faith, he might achieve it; but if he hadn’t 
gumption, there was no hope of him ! ” 

They all laughed together, and then Helena 
said, blushing a trifle, that she had been think- 
ing of the fable of the blind man and the lame 
one. 

"Yes; but how does that apply?” and Tom 
cast a look of puzzled interest at Helena’s 
bright face. 

"Why, I don’t know anything to speak of, 
you see, but I have very good eyes ! ” 

"I do see that,” said Tom, gallantly. The 


CONVALESCENCE AND mSDOM. 


167 


eyes veiled themselves instantly, as their owner 
said : — 

" That isn’t what I mean ! ” 

”Oh, isn’t it, really? What then?” asked 
the boy, with provoking coolness. His health 
was improving, manifestly. 

"I’ve a great mind not to tell you,” — and the 
child stopped a moment, — " but I was wonder- 
ing, this morning, if I couldn’t read for you, 
and write things, — I mean, be eyes for you,” 
she said, frankly. 

" Bravo ! ” cried Bob. " There’s a chance for 
you, Tom. I’ll lose my own eyes if that’s to 
come of it. Another cause of regret for my 
stupidity in not taking what was given to me.” 

" You see, I suppose, I’m selfish enough about 
it,” Helena went on ; " I’m such a goose, and I 
could read, and you could explain and — Oh, I 
can’t tell you half what I mean. I always do 
have horrors of trouble getting out anything.” 

" Oh, but this will be the most charming 
arrangement for me ! ” said Tom. " I’m ready 


168 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


to begin this very minute, — begin at the page 
where I left off that night when I killed myself.” 
Tom had this way of designating that unfortu- 
nate day, between daylight and dark, when he 
had read his last. Bob brought the book, a 
volume of Macaulay’s essays, and Helena soon 
found herself in the midst of the trial of Warren 
Hastings. She understood little of what her 
tongue uttered, at first. The gorgeousness of 
the style carried her away, as I think it does 
most beginners. But, little by little, partly 
from getting accustomed to it, and partly from 
Tom’s spirited explanations, she became inter- 
ested ; her face lighted, her eyes brightened, and 
Bob, who stood by listening, declared it was as 
good as a play to hear her read : — 

" Therefore hath it with all confidence been 
ordered by the Commons of Great Britain, that 
I impeach Warren Hastings of high crimes and 
misdemeanors. I impeach him in the name of 
the Commons House of Parliament, whose trust 
he has betrayed. I impeach him in the name of 


CONVALESCENCE AND WISDOM. 


169 


the English nation, whose ancient honor he has 
sullied. I impeach him in the name of the 
people of India, whose rights he has trodden 
under foot, and whose country he has turned 
into a desert. Lastly, in the name of human 
nature itself, in the name of both sexes, in the 
name of every age, in the name of every rank, 
I impeach the common enemy and oppressor of 
all ! ” 

This was the inauguration of a new custom. 
The reading hour was lengthened into hours, 
and it would be difficult to decide which of the 
two enjoyed' them most. Plelena had a great 
deal of that common sense which Tenty declared 
was, in her opinion, " the most uncommon sort 
o’ sense ; ” and this helped her vastly. One of 
their early selections was Bancroft’s United 
States. Aunt Cornelia shrewdly suspected Tom 
of having made the choice out of regard to 
Helena, as he certainly had* read the history be- 
fore. This was a new way of doing things, for 
Tom. But it grew to be an old one ; for the 


170 


SnORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


boy proved himself not slow to learn the lesson 
which this trial was meant to teach. If Tom, 
before this trouble with the eyes came on, had 
been in danger of forgetting others in himself, 
there was certainly no cause to remember that 
former tendency now ; and Mrs. Mather looked 
on delighted to see how thoroughly Tom was 
learning to think of others before himself. 

But those morning readings, when Tom 
busied his fingers with coarse carving, making 
straw frames, — anything, in short, which em- 
ployed hands and did not try eyes, and when 
Helena read, sitting in her black dress, her long 
hair hanging over the book, — those were not to 
be forgotten. For Helena herself these pages 
were a revelation. Her character had its poeti- 
cal side, as I believe the character of every 
bright, thinking girl has. Every such girl who 
reads this is conscious, I am sure, of an under- 
cmi-ent of thought and feeling which is quite as 
truly herself as the noisier upper wave. I beg, 
therefore, that no one will imngine Helena to 


CONVALESCENCE AND WISDOM, 


171 


have been a silly lackadaisical miss, merely 
because sky and earth were something besides 
so much blue and green expanse for her. 

''It’s so beautiful ! ” she exclaimed one day, 
looking up from her book after reading an 
account of the early explorers of the Southern 
States. The two, Tom and Helena, were get- 
ting less afraid of each other. There are few 
things like a good book for making people 
affiliate. 

"It’s so magnificent! Just to imagine one- 
self flying, as a crow flies, high up in the air, 
and seeing all this great country lying out 
below ; ” and Helena’s eyes took a dreamy, far- 
olff look, as though it was all before her face. 
Tom did not disturb her, as she went on mus- 
ingly, talking to herself, it seemed, rather than 
to another. 

" That wide-spread, low-lying country, and ‘ 
the dark woods, and the rivers flowing down 
through the silence, and the great mountains all 
waitinof” — Such a softness had come into her 

O 


172 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


voice, — such an illumination over her face ! 
Suddenly, however, she sprang up, out into the 
hall, down the verandah steps, and around the 
garden-walks. It was so nice to be alone, and 
to dream to herself her little dream of those 
grand old days. It was fresh in her mind, — 
the story of the gallant De Soto and his brave 
company of six hundred stalwart men, the flower 
of Spanish chivalry, leaving the sunny slopes 
of his native Estramadura, sailing across these 
unknown seas, and landing upon these western 
shores ; day after day pressing on through the 
pathless wilds, on toward the sunset, in pursuit 
of that hibled El Dorado in which they thor- 
oughly believed. And then that sad death upon 
the banks of the river which his eyes first of all 
Europeans had beheld, — the sorrowing band who 
resolved to hide his body in the waters, — the 
little skiff, in the gloom of the soft summer 
night, pushing silently out ^ from the shadowy 
shore, with oars muffled and voices hushed, for 
fear of savage arrows hidden among the dark 


CONVALESCENCE AND WISDOM, 


173 


vines, — the dull sound as they dropped the 
body in mid-river, and the sweet, sad music as 
the priest sang low the requiem of the departed 
chief, — the first requiem that ever sounded 
upon those solitary shores, where the waves 
have for three hundred years chanted their long 
dirge over the man whose prowess first gave 
them to the world. There was, too, the grand 
old Ponce de Leon, who saw, one Easter morn- 
ing, a land rise up out of the western sea, — a 
land so lovely in all the luxuriant vegetation of 
a southern spring, with the breath and the 
beauty of flowers. What better name could the 
romantic hidalgo devise than Florida, and where, 
more fitly than here, could he search for that 
wondrous fountain of perpetual youth? Ah, 
brave old Spanish cavalier ! Did no soft wind, 
wafted gently from afar over that flowery, sun- 
set land, whisper to you that, instead of youth, 
and life perennial, you should find, under the 
magnolia shade — a grave ? 

A hundred wordless dreams went flitting 


174 


SnORT-COMINOR AND LONG-GOINGS. 


through the youug girl’s mind, as she paced up 
and down the garden walk. I say wordless ; 
for who shall say how we think ; by what sub- 
tile art a thousand pictures pass swiftly on be- 
fore our fancy, all so lovely and so beyond the 
power of language — I mean our language — 
to describe? For this reason it is, I suppose, 
that, when a great poet speaks, all the dumb 
world recognizes what he unfolds. It is for us 
to feel, — for him to paint. 

And so it was that Helena, as she walked, 
was thinking of all these things ; of everything 
that had ever seemed lovely in her eyes, from 
the time when she used to lie in her baby crib 
and watch the round moon plowing through 
the feathery clouds, to this moment when she 
looked up at the blue sky bending above 
Glencairn. Suddenly she was startled by an- 
gry voices just over the cedar hedge, in the 
street. 



CHAPTEE X. 

EIGHTS AND DUTIES. 

HOESE with skin far too tight for 
his bones, although not an ounce of 
padding lay between, — a horse 
whose legs were so many slim, stiff 
sticks propping up this parcel of skin and 
bones, — a horse, whose depression of spirits 
was every way accounted for by his physical 
condition, — such a horse it was that Bill Hem- 
m in way was trying to force, with a heavy load, 
up the steep ascent which led to the bridge in 
front of the Glencairn gate. 

" That ar’s the wust pitch -tween herein 

Appa’laken ! ” coolly remarked Tim Miller. 

Tim stood looking on, with his hands in his 

175 



176 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


pockets, — hands that had never done an hon- 
est day’s work since they were human hands. 

Bill Hemminway certainly neglected no 
visible means to bring about his ends. The 
butt end of his whip, his own rough boot, and a 
board torn from the fence at the road side, all 
were exhausted in the effort to stir the load of 
sand one inch. The poor beast had strained 
every muscle in vain, and now stood passively 
enduring. 

" Get ’long there, you old cuss ! There, 
take that, will you? An’ that ! ” 

But we spare our friends a verbal report. 
It might not be as exhilarating to you as it was 
to the group of men and boys who had col- 
lected, and stood in open-mouthed admiration. 
Excitements were rare on the quiet roads of 
Eastburne. This was n(jt to be neglected. If 
any person thinks that there could have been 
little interest attached to seeing a poor, over- 
burdened animal belabored, he only shows a 
very singular taste. Why not, forsooth? It’s 


RIGHTS AND DUTIES. 


177 


nothing but a horse ! Nothing but a faithful 
creature, who has uncomplainingly borne his 
master’s loads, and done his master’s work, for 
a few years, getting in return the abundant food 
purchased with what his master could spare 
from his whiskey bill. What a beast, to think 
of giving out just at this juncture ! 

" Balky ! ” suggests Tim Miller, giving an 
eleemosynary kick to the animal’s left hind 
foot. 

''Kindle a fire under him,” proposes old Mike ; 

— Mike is the tolerated beggar of Eastburne. 

" Fill — mouth — gravel ! Fetch him ! ” jerks 
out a decayed gentleman, in a dress coat and 
tall hat, which have figured on very different 
occasions. 

" There ! You’ve done it now.” 

Just here a stout blo^ from the whip-handle, 
aimed judiciously upon the temple, laid the 
creature flat along the ground, and his owner 
stood stupidly staring at the work of his hands, 

— upon the stunned horse and the broken 

12 


178 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


shafts, — when a new figure appeared among 
them. 

” For shame ! ” 

It was a young girl in a morning dress, and 
with long, light hair, who spoke. She did not 
look at the crowd of men about; she did not 
even glance at the drunken master; she only 
gazed sadly down at the poor beast, — brute I 
might have said, but that he was less a brute 
than others about him. 

”You poor, half-starved creature!’’ she said, 
as though talking to herself. 

"Hit him a dig, Bill I ” up spoke the decayed 
gentleman in the tall hat and dress coat. 
" Aint nothin’ only stunned.” 

No one paid any attention to this suggestion, 
whether out of regard to the horse or the young 
lady is doubtful. 

"Is he really dead?” asked Helena of old 
Mike, whom she had seen before. 

" ’Fraid he be, Miss Seymour I ” answered 
Mike, taking off his hat respectfully. 


RIGHTS AND DUTIES. 


179 


Dead’s a door nail, good luck to him ! ” 
said Tim Miller, walking off. 

”You poor creature!” said Helena. ”0h, 
how could you? ” she said, mildly but earnestly, 
to the master. The spectacle of our little home- 
staying, modest Helena addressing a strange 
man was new indeed. But let the woman, or 
the young girl, who reads this, remember her 
own feeling the last time she went to town and 
saw that pack-horse beaten under his uncon- 
scionable load, and she will understand it. I 
am aware that, according to the usual pro- 
gramme on such occasions, the man ought to 
have been stricken dumb by the appearance of 
the heroine, repented and lived an exemplary 
life for ever afterward. Candor, however, com- 
pels me to confess that no such transformation 
took place. On the contrary, he stared at her 
doggedly, and finally broke out with : — 

'' Now, you jest look a’ here, miss. It’s all-* 
fired easy for you, who was horned with a gold 
spun in yer mouth, to be a stannin’ thar jawin’ 


180 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


me that haint no spun at all ! Here’s much as 
I can do ter scratch along from one day to 
another, and you come whinin’ round, ’bout 
a brute like that ; ” and the man emphasized this 
last remark by another kick upon the lifeless 
carcass. 

” Where do you live ? ” asked Helena. She 
thought she would go and visit these people, 
who " couldn’t but just scratch ’long from one 
day to another,” and show the man that she had 
some regard for human as well as animal ills. 
Her design, however, was mistaken. The re- 
ply was not encouraging. 

^'Whar do I live? What’s that to you, I 
sh’d like to know ? I don’t want you to come 
smellin’ roun’ my shanty, now, I tell yOu ; you, 
nor none o’ your kind ! I’ve had enough of ’em, 
— noses up in the air, steppin’ roun’ like a hen 
on a hot hearth, lecturin’ my old woman ’bout dirt 
an’ sich ! No siree ! ” — another^ kick. " I 
don’t want anybuddy cornin’ ; gwine away, an’ 
leaving tracts mebbe. Tracts I ’s tho’ anybuddy 


RIGHTS AND DUTIES. 


181 


could eat an’ drink tracts ! Or w’ar ’em ! Or 
bring up brats on ’em ! Not by a long chalk ! 
I tell you, better keep away from Tattam Hill, 
you had ! ” 

Helena was just turning away, amused to see 
that Bill, either purposely or not, had really 
given her the information she asked for, — 
that is, as to where he lived, — when Bob 
drove up with the pony, coming from the vil- 
lage. 

"What’s this?” he cried. "Well, I’m glad 
the creature is at peace at last. Helena, that 
must be a part of ' the whole creation groaning 
and travailing in pain,’ mustn’t it?” 

" Oh, dear, yes. It is awful,” said Helena, 
in real distress. 

But from this came a visit to "Tattam Hill,” 
‘and a call on the family of the Hemminways. 
For Helena winced under the accusation of 
caring more for the suffering of animals than 
she did for human pains, and therefore she lost 
no time in enlisting Mrs. Mather and Belle on 


182 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


her side, and a plan of operations was speedily 
arranged. The eldest dauo^hter of Bill Hemmin- 
way was said to be a quiet, modest girl, and 
a good seamstress. But people hesitated about 
bringing into their houses the representative of 
such a household. Aunt Cornelia, however, 
was not a woman to stop for this, and this 
Wednesday morning’s visit was to engage 
Nancy. 

They found the door guarded by a company 
of half-naked children, fat, dirty, tanned, stupid 
and comfortable. 

"How many children have you, Mrs. Hem- 
minway?” — "There!” thought the person ad- 
dressed, " she didn’t say ' my good woman,’ in 
that high and mighty way that ’most everybody 
doos.” So she answered, civilly : — 

" Ten, m’am, an’ the baby ! ” And the 
woman took from the cradle a fat, white child, 
a perfect lily in all the filth. It had on a night- 
gown, to be sure, but that was as spotless as the 
robe of a royal infant. Helena stretched out 


RIGHTS AND DUTIES, 


183 


her hands, and the little thing came, crowing 
and gurgling, to her. The mother’s eye glistened 
with honest pride that her baby was sweet 
enough to be hugged and kissed by anybody. 

I’ve had fourteen childr’n I ” she said. 

" Then you’ve lost three ? ” 

” Yes, an’ I wish there was three more of ’em 
under the ground,” sighed Susan Hemminway ; 
and she twisted up her long, coarse hair, hold- 
ing the comb between her teeth as she did so. 

” Oh, you can’t be in earnest ! ” exclaimed 
auntie, remembering her own one baby, shut 
away from her sight that winter’s day, four years 
before, — the baby white as the snow which fell 
upon its grave that first sad night. How could 
any one speak as this woman did ? 

"Oh, but I do, ma’m! Why not? They 
don’t suffer. They’re under the ground.” 

Poor woman! She had reason for thinking 
of that quiet rest as a blessed state. 

" Is the baby a boy? ” asked Helena. 

"No, miss. A girl; more’s the pity!” sigh- 


184 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


ing again ; and Mrs. Mather recalled the prayer 
of the Indian woman : Let not my child be a 
girl, for sad is the life of a woman.” 

" Oh, how much sorrow there is in the world ! ” 
spoke Helena, as though to herself, as they 
drove homeward. ''And it’s so little that any 
one can do to help it ! ” 

"It is only to take every day as it comes. 
Do the best we can, and all we can, for that one 
day,” said aunty, cheerily. Then, smiling, she 
said, " I can’t tell how often that wise old fable 
of Jane Taylor’s — the Discontented Pendulum 
— comes up to me. ' It’s not of fifty strokes I 
complain, nor of fifty thousand, but of millions ! ’ 
No wonder the old clock stopped. But, after 
all, it’s but one stroke at a time.” 

This was the way in which Nancy came into 
the Glencairn household. And a more well- 
conducted seamstress could not be imasrined. 

* O 

It is true, Tenty did not like her, and maintained 
that "no good would come of hiring such low- 
lived people ! ” But Tenty’s prejudices were 


RIGHTS AND DUTIES* 


185 


strong, and no princess of the blood ever valued 
herself on her descent from the Plantagenets 
more than did she on her old Scotch pedigree. 

” I know all about ’em, Mrs. Mather ! ” said 
this excellent woman. Tenty had brought her 
knitting-work to sit with the family for an hour 
or two. She often did this of an afternoon, and 
always distinguished the occasions by assuming 
her best black apron of silk, instead of alpaca ; 
also by gold spectacles and white knitting. Her 
every-day knitting was blue. The white she 
kept for high-days and holidays. Now she 
stuck her needle into the goose-quill sheath 
upon her right side, and ” set in for a good 
talk,” as she said. 

” Lawful heart, yes ! I know all ’bout ’em ! 
They live there in that old hovel ’t’s owned 
by ’Squire Parker. ’Thad ought’o been pulled 
down a generation sence. But there it stan’s ! 
The ’squire always was tighter’n the skin o’ yer 
teeth, an’ he lets it stan’.just fur the rent. An’ 
ther’s always some mis’able trash ’rother in 


186 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


there ! An’ these Hemminways air the mis’a- 
blest of ’em all ! ” 

But we ought to try and do them good ! ” 
replied Aunt Cornelia, not without memories 
of Mission Schools. 

" Do ’em good ? They’re perfect heathens ! ” 

” So much the more need of missionaries.” 

" Missionaries ! Mercy me ! You can’t do 
nothin’ with ’em ! ” and Tenty’s gold spectacle 
bows shook with her animation. "Why, Mrs. 
Mather ! It’s just like this. If they was real 
pagans, you could send missionaries, or you 
could go an’ sit amongst ’em, and read the Bible 
to ’em ! But here they be ! Know the Scrip- 
tures as well’s you do, an’ you can’t tell ’em 
nothin ! ” 

"Feed them ! Try that,” suggested Tom, who 
was swinging in his hammock, and looking up 
at the maple leaves thickly flecking the blue 
sky. 

" Feed ’em ! I tried that once ! I had great 
idees about never lettin’ a body go empty away. 


EIGHTS AND DUTIES, 


187 


An’ why, lawful heart, Master Tom, I found 
I might’s well a’ took my victuals and throwed 
’em into the Susquehanna.” 

" How are they about clothes ? ” 

"Worse, if anything. Summer after sum- 
mer them childr’n have been sent to Sunday 
school just enough to get ’em well clothed up, 
an’ then you never see no more on ’em ! They’d 
put on their new rig to wear blackberryin’ ! 
An’ then they won’t mend, Mrs. Mather, ’s much 
’s you an’ Miss Belle think it’s your duty to ! 
They won’t. I know ’em like a book ! ” 

" Aunty, what work of charity and labor of 
love do these belong to ? ” and Tom lifted an 
unbleached shirt-sleeve, of dimensions which 
unfitted it for any Glencairn arm. 

" dh, that’s for some of Aunt Cornelia’s Fee- 
gee Islanders, you may depend,” said Bob. 
" O aunty, don’t you want my old flannels ? 
I’ve outgrown ’em, or they’ve out-shrunk me. 
They’d be the jolliest things for that climate ; 
keep oflT cholera, and sich ! ” 


188 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


” O Bob ! Will you never have done with 
your slang?” exclaimed Tom, from his ham- 
mock. 

" Dunno, mas’r ! You better take me in 
hand. You’ve got no end of leisure on your 
hands, an’ there’s no telling Avhat a credit I 
should be to you.” 

''Not sufficient encouragement,” answered 
Tom, while Flossy, looking up from the oak- 
leaf crown which she was plaiting for Hector, 
inquired : — 

" Bob, why do the newspapers call the cholera 
the May lady ? ” 

' "The what?” and every one looked up, puz- 
zled. 

"It’s so. I’ve seen it lots. I can find it ! ” 

" Oh, I know. It’s malady ! ” said Tom. 
" A malady is a disease ; ” and the family smile 
subsided. 

In spite of Tenty’s discouraging account, Mrs. 
Mather was busying herself to put the Hemmin- 
ways into decent clothes, and the small, un- 


EIGHTS AND DUTIES, 


189 


bleached sleeve was one token of the same. 
'' Never mind,” she said to herself. " Better be 
mistaken ten times than that these poor people 
should be forgotten, and discouraged in trying 
to do well.’’ This reflection was worthy of 
Aunt Cornelia. 

"If aunty has a hobby,” said Bob, "it is 
selfishness ! There’s nothing that she doesn’t 
trace to that ! If anybody whines. Aunt Cor- 
nelia says, ^ How selfish to bring one’s own 
sensations before everybody ! ’ If any person 
talks too much, it is, ' How selfish to absorb the 
time with their own ideas and interests.’ In 
fact, there isn’t a disagreeable thing which she 
doesn’t trace back, somehow, to selfishness.” 

"Well, I believe I’ve become a convert to 
that side,” said Tom. "There are a thousand 
ways to show stinginess, besides holding on to 
money. I believe, with old Dr. Simmons, that 
selfishness is the root of all moral evil.” 

But all this did not take jfiace on the piazza, 
where the family were sitting, as I said, Tenty 


190 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


in attendance, Tom in the hammock, and Hector 
crowned with the oak-leaf garland. The sound 
of wheels was heard, and a show}^ carriage, with 
a colored driver in livery, swept round the 
circular drive, ‘and discharged its burden at the 
front door. There was a sound of heavy trail- 
ing garments, a wafting of strong perfumes, and 
Mrs. Colonel Ashton, followed by Bernie and 
Sherry Yan, sailed across the verandah to a 
chair beside Mrs. Mather. 

Mrs. Col. Ashton was in very deep mourning, 
— a very sincere mourner, if crape meant any- 
thing ! Crape ! Yards and yards of it, thickness 
upon thickness, layer upon layer, fold upon 
fold, here a little and there a great deal, as 
though the object were to try how many square 
feet could be sewed upon* one dress. Lower 
skirt and upper skirt, basque, mantle, and 
collar, and over all, depending from a trifle of a 
bonnet, a heavy veil, broad and deep, nearly 
covering her little figure. This was Bernie 
Ashton’s mother, — this little woman who, with 


SIGHTS AND DUTIES, 


191 


her tiny hand, the fingers of whose dainty 
gloves were slit to accommodate the large rings, 
swept aside her enveloping sables and 
sighed ; — 

" It is such a fearfully warm day ! ” 

” I am very Sorry you find it so,” said Mrs. 
Mather, civilly. ”We consider it very cool 
here.” 

"Do you? Well, I dare say; you always 
bear everything so calmly. It must be natural 
to you to be calm and serene.” 

Mrs. Mather smiled, and her guest went on. 

" People commonly can endure, or rather they 
don’t feel ! But I ” — here a great sigh — "I 
feel so keenly ! I am so sensitive ! ” Another 
sigh, the eye-brows raised and eyes downcast* 

This was Mrs. Ashton’s chief topic of conver- 
sation, — her sensitiveness. I think the seam- 
stress, with whom she had found fault that 
morning, Tvhom she had scolded, and finally dis- 
missed unpaid, — I am afraid the seamstress 
did not find her sensitive, as far as she was con- 


192 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


ceriied. There are many Mrs. Ashtons in the 
world, sensitive in regard to themselves, hard as 
adamant in regard to the sufferings of the rest 
of the world. 

” You are so quiet ; hut I enjoy and suffer so 
intensely. Bernie is just like me,” groaned the 
mother, while Mrs. Mather turned the conversa- 
tion in some other channel ; and the failings of 
her servants having been discussed, her own 
delicacy having been dragged forward again, — 
it was amusing to notice that, no matter from 
what distant point the stream of talk started, it 
was sure to gravitate toward Mrs. Ashton’s self, 
and her own ” sensitiveness ” — and having left 
Bernie and Sherry for the afternoon, she went 
awa.y. 

Tom and Bob had gone to town for the after- 
noon mail. Helena was teaching Sherry a new 
leaf in tatting, and Bernie was amusing herself 
between boxing her poodle’s ears and twirling 
the rings in her own. 

" What a lovely tatting-shuttle this is ! ” said 


RIGHTS AND DUTIES, 


193 


Sherry, examiniug the dainty mother-of-pearl 
thing, which Helena used most industriously of 
late ; there was also a slender gold ring, with 
chain attached, and a pin for drawing out 
loops. 

" Harold gave them to me last Christmas ! ” 
she said. 

" Have a hand-mirror, won’t you ? ” said Sherry 
to Bernie, who had tripped up to a long mirror, 
and stood shaking out her grenadine flounces 
and settling her lavender ribbons. 

"Be quiet, will you. Sherry?” 

" Certainly, dear, if you wish it ; only I was 
thinking a hand-glass would save you from 
breaking your neck, trying to look at your back. 
Your neck is thin, remember ; ” for Sherry could 
not resist the temptation to torment Bernie oc- 
casionally. 

" Susy Clintock,” put in Florence, fortunately, 
"has to have a glass set up before her on the 
table when she eats. Her mother makes 
her.” 


13 


194 SnORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 

What’s that for ? ” 

”0h, ’cause she makes such grinaces^ eat- 
ing ! ” 

Grimaces, you mean, Floy ! ” said Sherry. 

"I don’t b’lieve I need you, Sherry Van, to 
tell me what I mean, even if you are my inti- 
mate friend ; ” for words were Florence’s sore 
point. " But aint it just awful I should die of 
humileration ! ” 

" Oh, I’ve made a pun ! ” cries Sherry, in high 
feather, suddenly. "What made Hugh Miller 
commit suicide ? ” 

" Didn’t know he did,” growls Bernie. 

" Of course he did. Give it up. ’Twas his 
humility (Hugh Miller-ty) of course. Bernie, 
will you please stop abusing that dog of 
yours ? ” asked Sherry, having borne as long as 
she could seeing the selfish girl hold her poodle 
with one hand, and strike him smart little blows 
with the other, the poor creature cowering and 
whining meanwhile, in a piteous manner. 

" I love to. It’s jolly fun to see him snarl ; ” 


RIGHTS AND DUTIES, 


195 


and Bernie went on with her gratuitous dis- 
cipline. 

”You love to? Madame Domitian, can’t you 
get a fly or two to torture ? ” 

'"Bernie, will you please to stop that? ” ' 

This was Helena who spoke. She had left 
her seat, and stepped across the room in front 
of the sofa where Bernie was lying. 

" Why, dear me ! How pale you are, Helena 
Seymour ! Why, yes. I’ll stop since you make 
such a fuss. There ! Go ’long, you little 
wretch ! ” and the girl flung down the dog, and 
gave him a little kick with her dainty bronze 
slipper. 

" I must do something to torment Snips ! ” she 
said. "Mamma says nobody ever did conquer 
her, and I’m just like her. And I must have 
my own way.” 

" Did it ever strike you that some other people 
might prefer to have ^heir own way ? ” said Sherry. 

" Can’t say it ever did, Sherry,” drawled the 
young lady, listlessly. But, at that instant. 


196 


SnORl^COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


there was a sound of feet in the hall. Tom and 
Boh had returned, and directly all was changed. 

Bernie sprang up and shook out her wide 
draperies, and adjusted her bracelets, striking 
a graceful attitude on the tete-a-tete, her arm 
thrown out upon its crimson velvet cushions, 
and so arranged as to display its jeweled round- 
ness and whiteness, while she gayly invited Bob 
to the opposite seat. 

Come here, you errant knight, and take the 
part of a lady forlorn, abused by twice her 
numbers ! ” 

” I always defend the weaker party.” 

" There ! I knew it. How fortunate that you 
came ! ” simpered Bernie, glancing blandly at 
the young lady in lavender ribbons, smirking 
at herself from the mirror over against her. It 
was a trick of hers always to sit where she could 
see herself in the glass. 

"My sword is at your service. Lady Bernice.” 

"It’s my dog. I want to box his ears, and 
Sherry and Helena won’t allow it.” 


EIGHTS AND DUTIES. 


197 


As punishment, of course ? ” 

"Dear, no ! Because I love to,” simpered the 
silly minx. 

” Oh, that’s it, is it? Then I fear my knightly 
vow will compel me to defend the dog.” 

"O you horrible thing!” pouted Bernie, 
bringing the bronze slipper into requisition 
again, while Sherry, upheld by Belle and 
Helena, launched out into her favorite topic of 
animals. 

" Why, you’re a whole Humane Society in 
yourself, Sherry ! ” said Bob. 

"I’m not; but I wish with all my heart I 
were. I am really troubled a great deal about 
these things. For instance ; there are so many 
vagrant cats in the world, whom nobody owns. 
I tell you, if I was rich. I’d found an asylum for 
aged and indigent cats ! I would, surely.” 

" There is one in Constantinople,” said Tom. 

"Is there? That’s the best thing I ever 
heard of the Mussulmans, then I I’ve a great 
mind to go there.” 


198 


SnORT-COMlNGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


” I can tell you something better to do, 
Sherry,” said Aunt Cornelia. 

”What is it, Mrs. Mather?” and Sherry 
stood straight, and looked as though she could 
meet all the king’s horses and all the king’s men 
in defense of the right. 

” Stay at home, and put your theories into 
practice where you are ! Here are three or 
four people of you who are agreed in this 
matter. You ought to be able to work quite 
a revolution in these things.” 

Bravo ! Three cheers for aunty ! I move we 
have a meeting* on our east piazza, next Satur- 
day, to organize ! ” 

” Agreed!” came. from several voices, and 
Snips and Bruno, hearing the unusual com- 
motion, joined their voices as heartily as 
though they comprehended what was being 
concocted. 



CHAPTEE XI. 



THE HUMANE SOCIETY. 

HAT’S the hall bell ringing for, here 
at nine o’clock in the morning ? ” 

” The Pound ! It’s Wednesday 
morning, you know,” replied Mrs. 
Mather, as all started off down stairs. # 

A ” Pound” suggests a small enclosure of 
ground, upon some lonely road side, a strong 
wall, gate fastened with a padlock, and shutting 
in, mayhap, some ill-fated Bohemian of a horse, 
or some nomad cow whose wandering propen- 
sities have impelled her to roam more widely 
than well. This was the original Pound. The 
Pound at Glencairn was a lost-article closet, in 

which were bestowed all articles found lying 

199 


200 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG- GOINGS. 


about during the week ; and Wednesday morn- 
ings the bell was rung, and the household assem- 
bled to claim property, pay fines, and carry 
away. The fine amounted to a cent upon each 
article, and it not unfrequently happened that 
Bob and Florence became quite deeply involved, 
the belongings of each being of a migratory 
character. 

The household surround Belle, who, mounted 
on a chair, acts the part of auctioneer. 

” A handkerchief! Name bitten out, sup- 
posed, by the same token, to belong to Floy. 
Fine ^s^sual.” 

" What, only one? Remarkable I ” 

”Now, Bob Farley, you’re too bad,” cried 
Florence, in indignation. Just the week when 
I was trying to be as orderly as Helena, too. 
It’s real mean of you to discourage me 1 ” 

'' So it is, Pusheen ; but you’ll have to try 
some time, I should think.” 

" What if I do ? I’ve got some time to try. 
I are not as old as you are!” said the child. 


THE HUMANE SOCIETY. 


201 


dreadfully confused as to her grammar, as usual. 
" I know one thing ! I don’t have such awful 
times as Sue Clintock does. She has to go to 
bed the middle of the day, an’ pay fines on fin- 
ger nails, an’ her mother did send for her to 
come home from school, to shut the. door, one 
day.” 

Meanwhile, Belle is recording fines on various 
small articles. Three gloves, — odd ones, — 
Helena’s riding- whip, — found in the kennel, 
strongly suspected to have been carried thither 
by Hector, as a token of his affection, — a 
knife, a rubber pencil, and Flossy’s thimble. 

'' Not mine ? ” asked Mrs. Mather. 

"No, aunty. I didn’t know you’d lost yours. 
Was it the pretty gold one, with the grape-vine 
wreath ? ” 

" The same. I’ve not seen it since Saturday, 
the day Nancy Hemminway was here at work.” 

Helena glanced up quickly at Aunt Cornelia. 
Nancy had come by her request, and she felt in 
some measure responsible for her good conduct. 


202 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


” One thing more ! ” calls Belle. " If the clan 
of Glencairn will please lend me their ears a 
moment, I have a complaint to enter in behalf 
of Mistress Content Gilchrist.” 

”Tenty? What’s up with her?” and Bob 
looked interested. 

” See here ! ” and Belle held to view a large 
glass jar, empty. ” It appears that the plaintiff 
has reason to believe that petty larceny has been 
practiced upon her in the matter of conserve of 
roses/*' 

"Conserve of roses” was one of Tenty’s 
delights. It is made, as some of my old-fash- 
ioned readers know, by packing rose-leaves in 
sugar; and, it being July, the summer’s stock 
had been stored. As the empty jar was raised 
to light again, there was visible a label, written 
in the stiff hand in which Tenty’s cooking recipes 
were written : — 

" Poison ! ” 

Underneath was written : — 

"Very Slow!” 


THE HUMANE SOCIETY, 


203 


The latter writing strongly resembled Bob’s, 
and there was a murmur of family gratification 
when the sister spoke : — 

” Robert Mackintosh Farley, please to take 
the stand.” 

Bob hopped upon a stool, and stood twirling 
his thumbs an^ looking mischievous. 

" Is this your writing ? ” 

” Shouldn’t wonder.” 

'' Have you lost a sleeve-button ? ” 

’'Yes, ma’am.” 

"Is this it?” 

" Rather.” 

Here a hearty shout greeted a sugar-coated 
sleeve-stud, which came up from the depths of 
the jar. 

"Circumstantial evidence strong against the 
prisoner at the bar. Wherefore he will be 
obliging enough to answer. Guilty? Or not 
Guilty?” • 

" Guilty ! ” whined Bob. 

"Prisoner at the bar, listen to your sentence. 


204 


SnORT-COMlNGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


You are hereby condemned to pick rose-leaves 
in the garden one hour every morning until you 
shall have restored double the property which 
you took away.” 

"I appeal,” up spoke the culprit, ”to the 
supreme court, Mrs. Mather presiding, to know 
if I am at liberty to get help.” , 

All you can coax or hire I ” replied Aunt 
Cornelia. " The roses are wasting, and we 
can’t do better than to repair instantly to the 
garden.” 

" Oh, thank you, auntie. You’re the dearest 
soul ! Here’s your flag of truce ! ” and Bob 
produced a large, white, garden sun-bonnet, 
which his aunt wore, and which he had chris- 
tened as above mentioned. 

”I am sorry about the thimble,” said Mrs. 
Mather to Helena as they passed out. It was 
a keepsake.” She did not say from whom, but 
she recalled the Christma^morning, ten years 
before, when she had found it ambng her gifts, 
— the bright sheen of the gold in brilliant con- 


THE HUMANE SOCIETY. 


205 


trast with the white satin lining of the purple 
morocco case. 

am sorry too, aunty. But I don’t think 
Nancy could have taken it. Do you ? ” 

” I hope not, and I’ve no reason to suppose 
she did. Only I looked for it the evening after 
she left, and I couldn’t find a trace of it.” 

" I remember seeing it that day on .the sew- 
ing-machine, at the head of the hair-cloth 
sofa.” 

*'Yes, I sat there to sew. Ah, well. Never 
mind. Thimbles will stray, and gold ones go 
quite as easily as silver, steel, or gutta-percha 
ones.” And the subject was dismissed. 

A few days later, Mrs. Mather was arranging 
flowers at the dining-room table, when Bob 
rushed in upon her, exclaiming : — 

Well, I give it up ! That girl beats me ! ” 

” Who ? Helena ? What now ? ” 

” Why, you know that old gray wild-cat that 
has been prowling about the barn ? ” 

" The one Bat accused of killing chickens ? ” 


206 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


Yes, the very one. — Let me cut those stems 
for you. — Well, Bat has been pursuing her to 
the' death for a week. She was as wild as a 
hawk ; but this morning, he got hold of her and 
- gave her head an awful knock on the sharp 
stones ; and then she scratched his face and 
hands, pulled off his hat, and ran away.” 

” Frightful ! ” 

” Oh, but that’s nothing ! ” 

” Go on, then. But hand me the vases from 
the library mantel first, will you ? — Thank 
you.” 

"Well, Helena and I were out feeding the 
pony with sugar just now, when who should 
come crawling in but that wretched cat, more 
dead than alive, of course. And what do you 
suppose Helena did ? ” 

"Fainted, perhaps.” 

"Not she! Bat was nowhere to be found, 
and if he had been, I suppose he wouldn’t have 
touched the creature, inasmuch as he thought 
she was the devil in disguise.” 


THE HUMANE SOCIETY, 


207 


" Why, Bob I ” 

" He did, ^ savin’ yer presince, mim ! ’ as he 
told Helena. *But it’s me belafe she’s the 
divil ! ’ ” 

" But Helena 

" Yes’m. She got a strong bag, and tied the 
cat in, and then put her in a tub of water, and 
sat on the cover till she was dead ! ” 

" Helena, or the cat ? ” 

”You might well ask if you had seen her, 

— face as white as her collar, those little teeth 
of hers digging into her lower lip till it bled.” 

" Poor thing ! ” 

But what do you think of a girl who would 
do that thing ? ” 

” I think she was carrying out her own ideas, 

— putting the animal out of torture.” 

That struggle cost Helena a nervous head- 
ache. Once, and only once, afterward was 
there any reference to the vagrant cat. It was 
at dinner, and Mrs. Mather, who had taken 


208 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


Flossy to task for some trick of table manners, 
said at last, playfully : — 

"Florence, if you can’t learn to sit forward, 
and not lean back in your chair, I shall have to 
hand you over to your brothers.” 

"And we,” quoth Bob, "will hand you over 
to Helena, and she’ll kill you to keep you out of 
torture.” 

" Bob!” 

The look that came into the girl’s face at that 
moment warned the boy off that ground for ever. 
But the subject of cruelty to animals did not 
rest there. Belle, Sherry, and Helena, being 
waked up about it, actually went on and organ- 
ized their little society, and wrought some 
great changes in the town. For Eastburne 
boasted both a police and an officer to protect 

the brute creation. But both had hitherto been 

« 

a dead letter. It is not the object of this 
little book to detail the proceedings of this 
society. So I must be content with telling you 
that they did real, solid work among them. 


THE HUMANE SOCIETY, 


209 


There were many boys in Eastburne, as there 
are the world over, who saw attractions in 
torturing dogs with canisters at their tails, 
and whose valor consisted in tying two cats 
together, and throwing them over a fence-rail, 
watching and applauding while they scratched 
each^- other’s eyes out. I think they were not 
entirely bad boys, either. But they "didn’t 
think.” There’s a vast amount of selfishness 
and cruelty, however, under that "didn’t think.” 
It wasn’t long before Belle and Sherry made 
them think. 

" It is only a coward who’ll abuse an animal ! ” 
said Belle, stoutly. 

"Pretty plain talk that, seems to me,” re- 
sponded Bob. 

"The tiling’ll bear plain talk,” quoth Max 
Clintock, glad of a chance to uphold Belle. 

"But I can’t help thinking it’s a pretty big 
fuss to make over dogs, cats, etc.” 

" Bob ! What would you do if you should 


14 


210 


SnORT-COMlNGS AND LONCh-GOINGS. 


find a. big boy belaboring a little one?” asked 
Belle. 

"Pitch into him, I hope.” 

"I hope so too. But it’s as much worse to 
torture an animal. An animal can’t speak and 
ask help.” 

"Boys and beasts are different things.” 

"Yes, Bob, if boys don’t make beasts of 
themselves,” flashed out Sherry, in her way that 
Bob called " lightning at him.” 

"Pretty good, SheiTy. See how magnani- 
mous I am ! ” 

" Mr. Guppy ! If you’d only be half as gen- 
erous about other things ! ” 

"Yes,” chimed in Belle. "I do believe that a 
man who would deliberately maltreat a dumb 
creature would whip a woman ! ” 

"Come, now, that’s talking,” cried Max. 

"Fine notions you have of our sect, as Floy 
says,” retorted Bob, and the flush on his cheek 
was a little like anger. 

"You don’t all do it deliberately,” said Belle, 


THE HUMANE SOCIETY, 


211 


while Helena manifested approval by sundry 
little pats and pinches of the hand she held. 

"Now, Belgie,” said Tom, silent up to this 
moment, "will you please to tell us what 
you’ve seen and heard to arouse you to this 
degree in this matter ? ” 

*'Tell you? Indeed I will!” and the girl 
arose in her place at the end of the piazza, and 
standing there under the honeysuckle vine, she 
read from a small memorandum-book a list of 
resolutions. 

"Do you know, it was always the greatest 
mystery to me,” said Bob, "why they used that 
word 'resolved’ in the sense they do.” 

"I know it,” replied Sherry. "First, Re- 
solved, That John Smith is dead. Second, Re- 
solved, That we’re sorry for it. That’s about 
the style. But stop. We’re interrupting Bel- 
gie.” 

It is not the object of this book to go into 
the details of the "Boys’ and Girls’ Humane 
Society.” 


212 


SnOlll^COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


But it was too good an association to be en- 
tirely overlooked, and we beg that our friend, 
who holds the book of "incidents and resolves,” 
may be listened to a moment. 

" Incidents such as these : An overloaded 
horse, tied together as to his feet, and an Irish- 
man hired to beat him for an hour. Horses 
beaten brutally, after they had fallen under 
heavy loads. Sheep packed, in a hot day, into 
a small cart, so closely that the lower ones died 
of suffocation in five minutes, and the upper 
one tied down with his nose upon the wheel, so 
that every turning left marks in blood. These 
I have seen with my own eyes.” 

"And heard with your ears, like Chicken 
Little ! ” 

"Don’t interrupt. Bob,” said Max Clintock. 

" Then the worst of all is to be over at the 
station, and see those wretched cattle-trains go 
through from the West.” 

"Yes, indeed!” exclaimed Sherry. "Poor, 
half-dead-with-thirst creatures ! And the oxen 


THE HUMANE SOCIETY. 


213 


looking at you with their great, sad, wondering 
eyes, as though they appealed to you for help. 
Oh, it’s too dreadful ! ” and tears really came in 
Sherry’s own eyes, as she mentioned them, 
though she was not of the tearful order. 

"Yes, and I never shall forget one train I 
saw crowded with pigs.” 

" Pigs ! You’ve said it now ! Belle, it’ll take 
more than you to persuade us that pigs are in- 
teresting creatures ; ” and it was actually 
amusing, — the idea of Belle, the daintiest little 
lady who ever wore white frocks and touched 
dust with the tips of her fingers, — the idea of 
Belle taking up the gauntlet for the vilest of 
God’s creatures was singular. 

"And, indeed, Bob, I don’t think they are 
interesting. Indeed, I have always rather 
agreed with the Mussulmans who never will 
mention a swine by name, but always call it 
'that other creature.’ But I don’t want even 
pigs abused,” she said ; and just then Tom came 
forward to read the amended resolutions. 


214 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


"Please, ma’am,” asked Bob, when they had 
been read and accepted ; "please, ma’am, can we 
kill spiders ? ” 

"In the house. Outside, they’ve as much 
right as you.” 

"I would not enter on my list of friends,” 
etc., Tom began to quote, and with this the 
piazza society meeting disbanded. 

" But it beats all,” said Tenty, not long after- 
wards, "how much them young creeturs have 
done ’bout these matters ! Why, even Ole 
Hemminway whips his horse with the lash in- 
stead o’ the butt end; and all the rest ac- 
cordin’.” 

And here we must leave the Boys’ and Girls’ 
Humane Society. May they prosper till there’s 
no need of them ! 


r 



CHAPTEE XII. 

THE TEERIBLE SUSPICION. 

EANWHILE the summer waxed and 
waned over the little household at 
Glencairn. Letters came often from 
abroad, and there was a prospect of 
the whole family being together by Christmas. 
Aunt Cornelia had more and more reason to be 
gratified with the success of her year with the 
children. Belle was lovelier than ever ; Flor- 
ence, improved; Bob talked less slang; and- 
Tom was so generous in word and deed, that his 
old selfishness was scarcely to be recognized. 
Only one thing caused her anxiety. That con- 
cerned Helena. Not her temper. That seemed 

to give little inconvenience either to her friends 

215 



216 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONO-GOINGS. 


or to herself. Mrs. Mather almost wished she 
would flash at some one in her old way. It 
would be better than this depression. Day 
after day, from morning till night, her fingers 
were busy over her tatting. 

"Was there ever such an indefatigable little 
woman?” exclaimed Bob, whose own hands 
were employed making cat’s-cradle for Flossy. 
He went on : — 

"Just examine that spider’s web of a thing. 
It looks as though it would vanish in mist, 
whatever it is.” 

"'The baseless fabric of a vision,”’ said Tom. 
" What may it really be. Madam Penelope? ” 

"A rhyme! Wish before you speak,” said 
Helena. "It’s a collar, at your service.” And 
she spread out the dainty, frail meshes for 
exhibition. 

"Penelope! Come. That’s not bad though. 
Do you really ravel it out every night ? And is 
that the reason you’re always at it? And is 


THE TERRIBLE SUSPICION. 


217 


Ulysses actually coming? And where have you 
put Telemachus ? ” 

O Bob ! ” and Helena playfully stopped her 
ears, for she would try to be cheerful when 
others were gay. ” Which am I to answer 
first? Tatting won’t ravel, and Ulysses is 
coming by and by, and Telemachus has no 
existence.” 

Bell recalled the morning, soon after Helena 
came, when her face had fallen at the mention 
of a visit from her brother ; and she wondered 
if this persistent industry was in any way con- 
nected with that. There was a mystery to them 
all about it. 

” 'Do you know, aunty, I think Helena really 
seems unhappy sometimes,” said Belle. 

^'And I did not notice, at first, this careful 
hoarding of money. I don’t at all understand 
it, or what has become of the endless yards of 
tatting, the collars and the tidies which have 
gone out from her busy fingers.” 

" Nor do I. At first, I thought it was some 


218 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


present for you or for Grandmamma Linnell. 
But no. And then, too, when we were giving 
our money to buy that picture for Mrs. Cliu- 
tock, we asked Helena, and she said, 'I don’t 
think I can.’ That was all.” 

” Oh, dear ; I hope she isn’t going to be 
mean ! ” said Bob, impulsively. The boy’s 
quick feeling was in danger of leading him to 
extremes ; and yet there was a strange look 
about this thing. 

” Don’t, Bob ! ” said his sister. '' You know 
Helena has never known what it was to need to 
be saving before, and she wants to learn.” 

''Being saving I don’t object to, but — Well ; 
I won’t say anything. ' Wait and see,’ as Tenty 
says.” 

And, speaking of Tenty, — she appears in our 
story this morning, — appears in the garden 
with Mrs. Mather, examining the beds of sum- 
mer savory ; for it is October now, and the ripe- 
ness of harvest time is rich upon all the land. 

"Mrs. Mather,” broke out the good woman. 


THE TERRIBLE SUSPICION. 


219 


presently, standing beside a barberry bush, 
bending with its pendant corals, and pressing in 
her fingers a bit of bergamot. For she liked 
these old-fashioned odors, — bergamot, southern- 
wood, camomile. They reminded her of the old 
Vermont homestead where she was born; for, 
say what you will, nothing carries one back to 
the old times like the sense of smell. So now 
Tenty had been standing quiet a moment, think- 
ing how the whippoorwill used to come and sing 
at nightfall on the garden fence. Then she 
came back to life and Glencairn, and to — 

"Mrs. Mather, do you know if anything ails 
Miss Helena ? ” 

"Why, Tenty?” 

"Nothin’ much, ma’am. Only I don’t think 
she’s easy in her mind. I hear her nights all 
alone in her room, and I came upon her this 
morning cry in’ over a letter.” 

" You don’t mean it, Tenty?” 

" Yes, ma’am. An’ it’s my belief that some- 
thin’ is troublin’ her in secret. She use’ to be 


220 SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 

bangin’ round me with her sweet, caressin’ 
ways. It was, ' O Tenty ! ’ and ' You dear old 
soul ! ’ an’ what not. You know these young- 
lin’s are full o’ their lovin’ nonsense. But ther’ 
aint nothin’ o’ that now. An’ I hope in mercy 
she haint got into any trouble.” 

"Oh, I hope not, Tenty.” 

"But she does act to me, — an’ I’ve seen 
many an’ many girls, — she doos act as if some- 
thin’ was on her mind.” 

Aunt Cornelia was walking slowly into the 
house, when Tenty called : — 

" Mrs. Mather ! ” 

I wonder what it is which tells us sometimes, 
when our names are spoken in this quick way, 
that there is a particular disclosure coming. 
We may be called by name fifty times a day, 
and it is nothing. But presently some one 
comes out in a tone a shade different, and we 
turn, as aunty did, knowing that this is what 
Tenty has been waiting for. 

" Well, Tenty?” 


THE TERRIBLE SUSPICION, 


221 


" My niece Katherine was in to see me last 
night.’’ Tenty was standing, rolling the corner 
of a bergamot leaf nervously, and she pro- 
nounced the last syllable of her kinswoman’s 
name so as to rhyme with wine, 

'' Indeed ! Katy is doing well, I hope ? ” 
"Well, yes, m’am.” And Tenty tore off a 
bit of the bergamot leaf and ground it under her 
toe on the gravel. 

"Katy’s married, Mrs. Mather!” 

" Katy married ? Then some man is fortunAte, 
for Katy is a nice, capable girl, as well as a 
pretty one. Has she married well? ” 

"Tolerable, m’am. It’s young Jenks, — 
Farmer Jenks’s son, over at the Plains.” 

" Charley Jenks ? ” 

" Yes, m’am,” answered Tenty, trying not to 
look exalted, for it was true that her niece had 
married one of the best-to-do farmers in the 
county. 

" That’s very pleasant. Did you know it was 
to be, Tenty?” 


222 


SnORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


"Yes,-m’am. But there’s many a slip ’twixt 
cup an’ lip, so I said naught.” 

A bit of the woman’s old Scotch caution, 
this. 

The Plains were four miles off, — a charming 
drive over the hills, of a bright morning ; and 
in this direction it was that Mrs. Mather and 
Belle were going, a day or two after the above 
conversation. 

"Aunty, why can’t we give Katy a call? I 
promised her that I would go and see her when 
she was married. You know she came to see 
Tenty that day we found Bob’s sleeve-button in 
the conserve jar.” 

" And the day we looked for my thimble,” 
said aunty, with a sigh. 

"Yes, and you’ve found no trace of it yet? ” 
r " Not the slightest. When I questioned 
Nancy, I was satisfied she had never known 
anything of it. She hadn’t in the least the air 
of a guilty person, though she was uneasy, of 
course, at being asked about it.” 


THE TERRIBLE SUSPICION’, 


223 


^'Well, Pm glad she is cleared, for Helena’s 
sake as well as her own, aunty. For Helena 
actually turned pale the moment it was spoken 
of.” 

noticed, dear, that she was very anxious. 
It wasn’t to be wondered at, as she introduced 
her to the family. But here we are. This is 
the Jenks house, I am sure.” 

"Yes, and the new one, on this side of the 
street, is Katy’s. Farmer Jenks has built the 
house for his son this summer.” 

" And how pleasant it is ! ” exclaimed Mrs. 
Mather, as she fastened the pony to the post in 
front of a pretty farm-house rejoicing in fresh 
paint and green blinds. It was a purple, autumn 
day, and the landscape, far and near, — distant 
hills, and gray roofs close at hand, — lay sleep- 
ing in a thin haze. The two farm-houses stood in 
the midst of a little village of barns and sheds, 
and it was down a trim, well-kept walk, 
bordered by shrubs and shaded by maples a 
generation old, that the visitors passed to the 


224 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


door. For the wise farmer had built his house 
on the site of an old farm-house, where there 
was shade already, instead of building and wait- 
ing a half century for his trees to grow. 

Katy met them at the door, — Katy , blushing 
and smiling, in her neat, dark print and spot- 
less linen collar, the very picture of a pros- 
perous, happy farmer’s wife. 

” Oh, how kind of you to come and see me I ” 
and she led them into a tidy sitting-room, where 
an old woman sat knitting. 

Grandmother, this is Mrs. Mather, and Miss 
Belle Farley. They’ve come to sit with you a 
little while.” 

Here Katy guided grandmother’s hand to 
meet her guests’, and by this they saw that she 
was blind. 

" I’m glad to feel your hands and hear your 
voices, though I can’t see you,” said the dear 
old creature, smiling sweetly. "I shall see be- 
fore long, so I don’t mind it much now ; ” and 
the aged saint spoke as cheerily and frankly as 


THE TERRIBLE SUSPICION. 


225 


though she had mentioned going into the next 
room. 

" You find eyes in your grand-children here,” 
said Aunt Cornelia. 

Yes, m’am. You may well say that. Oh, 
IVe so many blessings that I lie awake nights 
thinking of them,” said Grandmother Jenks. 
And Belle sat by, wondering if there ever was 
such a serene smile on any other face. It was 
like nothing but the light of heaven shining on 
a summer lake. 

Mrs. Mather sat, bending forward a little, her 

hand on the arm of the grandmother’s chair, 

listening as she talked. There was a trifle of 

the garrulousness of age in it, — more of that 

peculiar vivacity which one seldom fails to find 

in persons who live a retired life. When they 

meet a listener, the tongue is loosed. 

” Charley,” she said, "had lost his mother at 

three days old. She had taken him from the 

nurse’s arms, and he had been her baby, her 

boy. And now it had been understood that, 
15 


226 


SnORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


when Charley was married, his home should be 
hers ; and here it was.” 

" I have many blessings,” said the cheerful old 
soul, ” but I never expected such a daughter as 
Katy ; ” whereat the round, young face behind 
grandmother’s chair blushed and smiled the 
more. 

Then Katy took them through her new house, 
with all its fresh rooms and shining furniture. 
Nothing was expensive. Everything was neat, 
substantial, and well-chosen. Into the kitchen 
they came at last, where the October sunshine 
lay out in squares on the painted floor, where 
the shining pans stood in rows, and the kettle 
sang upon the stove. Charley, the husband, 
came to meet them here, — a broad-shouldered, 
bronzed young man, whose black curls almost 
brushed the top of the door as he came in, with 
his erect, bold gait. It seemed that the little 
wife’s cheeks would never have done burninsr, 
as she introduced the stalwart fellow, and then 
she hurried the callers ofi* to see her presents.” 


THE TERRIBLE SUSPICION. 


227 


Modest enough they were, but no bride was 
ever happier with camel’s hair and point lace. 

” Here is Aunt Tenty’s present,” she said, — 
" this gold thimble. I told her it was extrava- 
gant ; but she said, as I was to be married but 
once, she wanted to give me something worth 
giving.” 

Charley rallied her on the possibility of her 
being married again. But the joke passed 
unheeded by the guests. The thimble ! The 
very wreath of grape-leaves and clusters, every 
turn of which was so familiar to Aunt Cornelia’s 
loving eyes. The very thimble ! Just as she 
saw it, ten years before, on her breakfast-table, 
Christmas morning ; and here it was, in Katy 
Jenks’s basket ! Not the case. Oh, no ! That 
Aunt Cornelia had reason to know would not be 
with it, because it was in her own basket at 
home. 

” What can it mean ? ” 

I can not imagine.” 

This was all the conversation which the pony 


228 


SnORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


heard, as Aunt Cornelia and her niece drove 
homeward. But a cloud hid the face of the sun, 
and a shade darkened the whole world. 

" I was a-talkin’ with Miss Helena,” testified 
Tenty, on being examined privately by aunty, 
” and I told her that I wanted to make Katy a 
nice wedding present, and she ran up to her 
room, and first I knew, down she came with 
that thimble. H know what it’s worth,’ says 
she, 'for I asked Mr. Litz, the jeweler.’ So I 
bought it, an’ I didn’t say nothin’ about it, 
’cause she asked me would I please not. An’ 
I s’posed ’twas all right, an’ I hope ’tis now,” 
said Tenty, glancing curiously at Aunt Cor- 
nelia’s troubled face. There was no need that 
the identity of this thimble with the lost one 
should be explained, and Tenty herself evidently 
did not connect the circumstances. Aunt Cor- 
nelia’s first impulse was to shut herself into her 
own room, and think it over. Things had an 
ugly look. There was no getting away from 
that. Here was the thimble, Helena’s knowl- 


THE TERRIBLE SUSPICION. 


220 


edge of her loss, and her peculiar sensitiveness 
at having it mentioned. Then the tatting, too ! 
For it had just come to them, in a roundabout 
way, that this had been sold to a milliner in the 
village, and quite a little sum of money received 
in return. This saving and hoarding of funds, 
for nobody knew what purpose, was a mystery. 
Then could it be another thimble ? It was not 
possible that two should be found so precisely 
alike. The pattern was peculiar. And then, 
why should there have been the request for 
secrecy, if all was right? To Aunt Cornelia, 
— loving, trusting, straightforward woman that 
she was, who would have been willing to have 
her inmost thought exposed, and who never 
could imagine why the exposure of secrets 
should add such terrors to the final judgment, — 
to her, the concealment, of itself, was almost 
criminal. 

Belle was at the door, troubled and anxious. 

” Aunty, have you found out about it from 
Tenty?” 


230 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


” Nothing that helps at all, Belle.” 

O Aunt Cornelia! Helena can’t have done 
such a dreadful thing ! ” 

"I hope not, my dear child. But it looks 
very badly indeed.” And Aunt Cornelia went 
over in her own mind all the instances of moral 
obliquity she had ever heard of. 

" It is certain. Belle, that there are examples 
of persons addicted to light-fingering, and yet 
perfectly blameless in their lives otherwise.” 
have heard of such things.” 

” Heard ! Why, the records of criminal 
courts are full of them. And the noblest 
woman I ever knew used to say, if she were 
ever left to commit any great moral wrong, it 
would be in the way of thieving, — that she felt 
an unaccountable attraction to those thino^s.” 

" Oh, but it is so dreadful ! ” and Belle shud- 
dered at the mention of those fearful words, 
coming so near. 

” There’s one thing, aunty, which we can do. 
We can ask God to help us out of this ; ” and. 


THE TERRIBLE SUSPICION. 


231 


dropping upon her knees that instant, the sim- 
ple-minded girl told the story, as though she 
were telling her mother, asking God to give 
them wisdom to act aright, and, above all things, 
to condemn no one unjustly, and that so the 
light might shine upon all this darkness right 
speedily. 

” There ! I feel easier, at all events, already,” 
she said as she rose ; and the two went down to 
dinner. 

This was a hard thing to do. To meet face 
to face the girl whose character had been a 
doubtful matter all the morning, — to meet her, 
and yet to let no word, tone, or look escape to 
tell the tale. Helena was silent and con- 
strained ; Aunt Cornelia and Belle, in trying to 
appear cheerful, carried the thing too far, and 
became almost hilarious ; and Tom and Bob only 
were natural. Letters had been received, that 
morning, from the voyagers, announcing a 
change of programme. Papa, Mamma and Keg. 


232 


SRORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


had put on their traveling array once more. ^The 
note of preparation was struck for — 

-EgyiDt!” 

The substantive became an interjection in 
Bob’s mouth, as the information came from his 
brother, of the family intent. 

I say, what upon earth should anybody 
want to go there for, of all places under the 
sun? Helena,” he burst out with great vigor, 

" what’s your notion of Egypt ? Just tell, will 
you ? ” 

" This, — frogs and a horror of darkness ! ” 

" Stick by Scripture, — just like Nellie. Bel- 
gie, lass, what’s your idea of Egypt?” 

"A big river at ebb tide. Miles and miles of 
mud, and huge black pyramids against the^ 
sky.” 

That’s all correct according to the geogra- 
phy ! Now attention, while we get the historic 
view, for I can see Tom looking portentous. 
Let’s have it, Tom.” 

” Karnak, Luxor, the Sphinx, and Mem- 


THE TERRIBLE SUSPICION. 


233 


non ! ” came with deliberate emphasis from 
Tom’s lips. "Egypt? why, it’s the grandest 
country upon the face of the globe ! ” and Tom 
rushed to the library to come out loaded down 
with a large book of engravings, which nearly 
cost him his dinner, so enthusiastic did he be- 
come in exhibiting and explaining the plates 
and descriptions. 

" Speaking of Egypt,” said Mrs. Mather, 
" reminds me of a lovely picture which I saw in 
one of the galleries in New York, last winter, — 
'The Holy Family in Egypt.’” 

"What could it be but the usual one, of the 
three, with their faithful mule? ” asked Bob. 

"But it wasn’t that at all. It was a night 
scene, and the three were in a little boat on the 
Nile, all sleeping, while an angel watched at 
the prow.” 

" How beautiful ! ” 

This exclamation came from Helena, -her 
whole face aglow with pleasure ; but Aunt Cor- 
nelia wondered, as she glanced at it, why she 


234 


SnORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


had never noticed before that peculiarity of the 
lower lips which might indicate duplicity. 

"Yes, it was beautiful, with the dark sky 
above, the dark river below, the lotus blooming 
about, and the level land lying out on either 
bank.” 

And thus passed this trying ordeal. 




CHAPTEK XIIL 

THE IVIYSTERY SOLVED. 

UNTY, I want to go straight to Hele- 
na and ask her about all these 
things.” 

”It’s not best, Belle, to hasten the 
matter. Perhaps it will all be explained with- 
out the necessity of asking Helena.” 

^^But, aunty dear, I feel as though every 
hour of waiting was doing her a wrong;” and 
Belle came nearer chafing and fretting than she 
ever had in her life before. 

Oh, those days of suspense ! Belle herself 
suffered keenly, though she would not doubt. 
*'It will all come out right! I know it will! 

It must ! ” she said to herself and to Aunt 

235 



236 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


Cornelia, many times a day. As for Mrs. 
Mather, so long as positive proof was wanting, 
she tried to allow no outward sign of her dis- 
trust to come between herself and Helena. 
But both natures were too sensitive not to feel 
it. The separation was not the less real be- 
cause invisible. And, though no word had 
been uttered on either side, the great wall of 
China could not have been a surer division. 
Poor Helena ! Those were hard days for her. 
Only Tom and Bob remained the same as ever ; 
for Mrs. Mather had decided that there was no 
need of telling them just yet. 

" Helena dear ! ” 

Belle had, at last, her aunt’s permission to go 
to her friend and ask an explanation. It was 
bed-time, and she found Helena, in her white 
wrapper, standing, brushing her hair, — her Bible 
set upon the dressing bureau in front of her, 
— brushing and reading at once; for, even at 
bed-time, the minutes must be improved. She 


THE MYSTERY SOLVED. 


237 


stopped as Belle entered, her dark eyes looking 
out at her through the veil of her loose hair. 

" There’s a little something I want to tell you 
about, dear.” 

” Yes,” said Helena, very quietly. 

"You know aunty and I went up to Katy 
Gilchrist’s, — Katy Jenks’s I mean, — and she 
showed me all the pretty things.” 

** Yes.” There was no flinching. 

"And the thimble.” 

A pause here. 

"And, Nellie dear. Aunt Cornelia was sur- 
prised, you know, when Katy said where it 
came from, and Tenty told the rest.” 

"Yes, Belle.” 

Another silence. This was awkward. Here 
was the pause which Belle had counted on 
having filled by her friend’s frank and full con- 
fession. 

" But, dear, wasn’t it a little singular for you 
to sell the thimble without mentioning it to 


238 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


aunty? And the tatting money, too, and the 
other things ? ’’ 

A quick look of pain darted across the face 
of Belle’s listener here, — that white face in the 
shade of all its light, loose hair. 

" O Belle, dear ! I can’t tell you ! Indeed I 
can’t ! ” she sobbed. " It’s awful, I know. You 
can’t begin to tell how awful it is. But it’s 
right.” 

" Of course it is I ” exclaimed Belle, believing 
the honest voice which never had deceived 
her. 

''I think you’ll all hate me. But if you only 
could trust me just a little longer ! ” 

'' Indeed, I will, Helena. I do trust you. I 
will trust you always.” 

And indeed Belle had trusted, did trust,, and 
would trust her friend in every past, present, 
and future tense that could be imagined. But 
it was hardly a satisfactory report to carry back 
to her waiting aunt. To find her waiting, read- 
ing Thomas a Kempis, and to say : — 


THE MYSTERY SOLVED. 


239 


"Aunty, dear, Helena isn’t to blame. She 
really isn’t. But she hasn’t explained.” 

" And that is all?” 

" Yes’m.” And Belle ran to her own room 
to cry and pray over it, longer than -she had 
(fVer cried and prayed over anything in her 
life before, even when Reg. and Flossy were 
at their worst. The three appeared at break- 
fast, next morning, pale and silent. 

" What’s the matter with us all? ” cried Bob. 
"Belle, do give us Reg.’s yesterday’s letter. 
That’s jolly, anyhow, and we need stirring up.” 

“ Since I wrote last,” Eeg. began, and Belle read, “ it has 
been decided that we are to go to Egypt. Before we put on 
our traveling boots, however, for that land of darkness, let 
me tell you what we’ve been up to for the last month. Will 
Pumpelly went over the Ehine country with us. He’d been 
over it before, and he was at home there, which was fine for 
me. 

“You know, Belgie, papa has never let us read Byron. 
But before we started on this trip, out came an old edition, 
and your humble servant was treated to a copious dose of 
* Childe Harold,’ the parts about the Alps, and ‘ the wide and 


240 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


winding Ehine,’ and Lake Leman, etc. Didn’t I. re- 
peat : — 

‘ Yet one thing lacks this castled Rhine, 

Thy gentle hand to clasp in mine,’ 

in your behalf? You may be sure of it. The ‘ Prisoner of 
Chillon ’ also I read. 

“ I’ve put down catch- words for most of the trip. Next 
winter, around the library-table, you’ll get it. We took 
lodgings at Geneva, and explored the region about. I 
recalled Caesar, and ‘ The last walled town of the Allobrogi — is 
Geneva.’ We went to Chillon. There stands the castle, 
built out into the lake, with the dangerous way down, and, 
above, the windows looking out across the water to Vevay 
and Geneva. As we went into the castle, I noticed, away up 
above the mountains, some pink clouds. As we came out, I 
said, ‘ Will, those clouds haven’t moved since we went in.’ — 
‘ And they never will ! ’ was the reply ; and then I recognized 
the Alps. Of course these recall all my little scraps of his- 
tory, — Hannibal, and Caesar, and Napoleon, — Hannibal, who 
brought his poor, tropic-bred elephants to plant their great 
feet where a chamois could but just climb, and the chamois, 
from his crag, saw them roll headlong into the deep ravines. 
I wonder if their huge bones and tusks are bleaching there 
yet I . 

“ At Milan we were joined by papa and mamma, who had 
come by rail. That grand cathedral ! If you could but have 


THE MYSTERY SOLVED. 


241 


seen it! According to programme, it should have shined, — 
the sun, I mean, — but it did no such thing. It rained great 
guns, and we had anything but ‘ the cloudless sky of Italy * 
over our heads. But we waded to the cathedral, groaning 
in ourselves that we couldn’t see the mountains from the top 
of it. But, while we were sauntering about, breaking our 
necks looking at stained glass windows and statues, down 
comes the sacristan and says, ‘ If the Signor Inglese will come 
up to the roof this minute, he can have the best view of the 
Alps there has been in weeks.’ — ‘ The mountains ! To-day ! ’ 
T^e exclaimed; but up we went. And a more unromantic- 
lookihg squad you might have searched the continent to find. 
Papa, with a little bundle of waterproof on his arm, — that’s 
mamma ! Your humble servant bringing up the rear with a 
parcel of wet umbrellas and a camp-stool. But you may be 
sure we were paid. For, standing there among all those 
weeping angels, — you recollect Milan Cathedral has figures 
of angels upon every one of its gothic pinnacles, — standing 
there, with the rain pouring down like the equinox, which 
indeed it was, we looked away to the north, and there was 
the whole amphitheater ‘ of mountains lying in clear sun- 
light. Well?. If you think I’m going to describe that, or 
try to, you’re mistaken. It was like nothing on earth. I 
could only think of the ‘ Delectable Mountains ’ which the 
shepherds pointed out to Christian. Mamma looked as if she 
were just sailing off into another world, and I declare, I was 


16 


242 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


half afraid she’d go, and held on to her waterproof. Just to 
think of standing there under those dripping umbrellas, and 
looking yonder at that semi-circle of snow peaks bathed in 
sunlight ! 

“From Milan to Naples, and Vesuvius, and the bay, and 

» 

Capri, where Tiberius built his palaces, Florence and the 
Arno, Eome and the purple Appenines, — all these I must save 
to tell you about around the home-fire next fall. 

“ We meet hosts of Americans. Some are nice, and some 
are not. There are some who, for the credit of the country, 
we wish had stayed at home, — men, noisy, and women loud 
in dress, and louder in voice. But, besides them, there are 
many others, quietly dressed and with quiet manners, and 
such nice voices. You know mamma’s theory of judging 
people by their voices more than their looks ? I’ve become 
a convert to it. 

“ Papa’s friends, the Bensons, are here, from New Haven. 
There is Dr. Benson, with his wife and her sister, his own 
mother and two sisters, besides three children with a nurse 
apiece, — all as sweet and gentle as you can think. But do 
you wonder that, with such a charming retinue, they should 
have taken Dr. Benson, on his landing from the American 
steamer at Liverpool, for a Mormon? Capital, wasn’t it? 
The truth is, that many of the people here labor under the 
delusion that half the Americans are Mormons, and the other 
half Indians, who attend church in native costume. A French 


THE MYSTERY SOLVED, 


243 


lawyer said to papa, the other day, that of course we couldn’t 
expect the North and South ever to be united, because they 
were so divided physically. It was at a dinner-party, and he 
mapped it all out on the table-cloth between the courses, on 
this wise : — 

‘ De North ees her-r-re, an’ de South ees ther-r-e, an 
here, between, ees de Eesmus off Darienne ! ’ Think of that 
from an educated man ! 

“ But I must stop. How is everybody ? Kiss ’em all round 
for me, especially Grandmamma Linnell. Tell Sherry Van 
she hasn’t written me in an age, and unless she does it pretty 
soon, she’ll hear of me doing what the crew of Ulysses did — 
Stop, though ! It was the Syrens that threw themselves over- 
board, wasn’t it? So that won’t hold. Never mind. I shall 
do something desperate. Let the family embrace all around 
on my account, and you particularly, for your 

“ R. M. F.” 


And now Aunt Cornelia was persuaded of 
Helena’s guilt. What further had been needed, 
but her own refusal to explain? Mrs. Mather 
was the more distressed, from the fact that 
Helena had been introduced into the household 
in the absence of the rightful rulers, and who 
could tell what harm she might do by her in- 


244 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


flue nee ? So she kept watch, for the next few 
days, over them all, trying to keep Florence 
near herself, though it was hard to accomplish, 
while she caused her niece. Belle, to stand be- 
tween Helena and the brothers. The reading 
hours went on as usual. They, at least, were 
harmless. 

" Cousin Tom,” said the young girl, after their 
hour of Bancroft, — it was November now and 
one of the first Indian summer days, — '' Cousin 
Tom, I want to speak with you about some- 
thing.” 

” Speak on;” and Tom straightened himself 
in his chair to listen. 

'' No, but it’s something very important, and 
something which I must see you quite alone 
about,” glancing about, apprehensively, at 
windows and doors. 

” Oh, that’s the thing, is it? TThew ! My ears 
begin to tingle already with the possibility of a 
confidence ! Let’s have the horses round, and 
go to ride.”^ 


THE MYSTERY SOLVED, 


245 


^'Oh, yes.” 

The ride would be pleasant, and they would 
be undisturbed. 

Ten minutes later, Tom came around to the 
side verandah, with the pony and his own Prince, 
and Helena stood there ready, in her black rid- 
ing-habit. She was talking as usual, and smiled 
sadly when Tom rallied her on that, as on her 
punctuality. 

"Were you ever late, I wonder, for any- 
where? You know the Gauls used to kill the 
one who came last to battle, because punctuality 
was such a virtue among them.” 

" What a paragon I should have been there, 
shouldn’t I ? Now then — ” 

"Now, then,” repeated her friend, riding up 
beside, placing his hand on the pommel of the 
saddle and preparing to listen. Poor Helena! 
It was only by a strong effort that she kept 
down the rising sob. This frank, friendly 
gaze of Tom’s nearly broke her down. She 
began, presently, however : — 


24G 


SnORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


" I’ve kept it so long, Tom, because I knew 
it was Harold’s secret and not mine. You sec 
it was two months ago or more, — it seems like 
a year, — since Harry began to write me about 
his troubles. I suppose some boys wouldn’t 
tell. But Harry always told me everything, 
l^oor boy ! And now it is money. ” 

” Money ? ” 

"Yes, nothing else in the world.” 

And then the sister went on to tell of that 
great office on Wall Street, where there were, 
besides Harry, those two sons of Mr. Seyton. 
The father had been Mr. Seymour’s partner. 
Seymour and Seyton had been for years one of 
the best firms in the city, and one of the most 
lucrative in its business, it was supposed. Noth- 
ing could have caused greater astonishment than 
did the announcement, on the death of the 
former, that nothing was left for the children 
besides the life insurance. Mr. Seyton had 
taken Harold directly into his office, ai;d all 
legal advantage coming from this he was to re- 


THE MYSTERY SOLVED, 


247 


ceive as a gratuity. Aside from that, he was 
to shift for himself. Board, clothing, horses, 
cigars, and many luxuries, seemingly necessaries 
to a young man who had never been stinted 
before, and who had, besides, the example of 
the two young Seytons to help him the wrong 
way. They were dashing, fashionable fellows, 
unprincipled to the last degree, fond of Harold 
after their fashion, and urging him on to every 
length. 

"And then,” said the sister, sadly, but so 
sweetly, "Tm afraid poor Harry never learned 
much at home to help him. While poor papa 
was so ill, the minister came to see him, and I 
think he would have been different if he’d 
lived. But, as it was, we never heard any- 
thing at home about being good, or about hold- 
ing out against temptations ; and it was too 
much to expect him to struggle all alone.” 

"Was this the reason,” Tom found himself 
wondering, " why Helena had taken in all the 
religious part of the Glencairn life so eagerly ? 


248 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


She had asked Belle, soon after she first came, 
whether she supposed a little girl, who knew so 
little about such things, — who didn’t know 
what was the distinction between Baptists and 
Methodists, Presbyterian and Episcopalian, — if 
she could be a Christian ? And now the simple 
way in which she mentioned " these things,” as 
she termed religious matters, was beautiful to 
listen to. 

" So, you know, Tom, Harry’s money lasted 
him such a little while ! And such a very little 
while ! And then, before he quite knew about 
it, he was in debt.” 

" In debt ? ” 

”Yes, in debt! And very badly, too, I’m 
afraid. And, ever since, he’s been feeling so 
wretchedly. ^ There’s nothing he can do to earn 
anything. If I could get at my money, he 
might have that. But mine is tied up in a hard 
knot till I am of age. And so I’ve been trying 
to earn a little to help him.” 

” You, little chicken, to earn ? ” exclaimed 


THE MYSTERY SOLVED. 


249 


Tom, as much amazed as though Flossy should 
propose going out as a seamstress on day- 
wages. 

”Yes, I. Why not? My tatting has 
brought me more than ten dollars, if you can 
believe it.” 

Tom gave a low whistle, intended to repre- 
sent an exclamation-point. 

” And now. Cousin Tom, weTe coming to it !” 
This prefix had been agreed on some weeks 
before. 

” Are we ? ” 

"You know when things were sold at home, I 
had mamma’s jewels. I don’t know how much 
they are worth ; but a great deal of money, I 
think, because there are pearls, and a pair of 
diamond ear-rings, and a pin.” 

" And you wish to sell these ? ” 

"I do. I know it is just what our mother 
would like to have done with them,” said 
Helena, earnestly. 

I dare say. If she were like her daughter, 


250 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


she would make a bridge of her own body to 
save any one she loved from destruction. But, 
Helena. I’ve an idea, too ! ” 

Oh, what is it?” 

” You know — or perhaps you don’t know, 
but it’s a fact — that, when I was born. Uncle 
Tom was here, and thinking me a likely young- 
ling, so far as two hundred pounds could judge of 
ten, he wanted me named for him. Hence this 
name, Thomas Phillips Farley, and hence, — 
what’s more to the present purpose, whence, 
five hundred dollars, which was lodged in the 
savings-bank then, and has been at compound 
interest ever since, and so must amount to a 
pretty round sum.” 

” And you want me, — ” 

” I want you to tal^e that, and do what you 
please with it.” 

"But your father, Tom? You don’t want to 
do such a thing as that without his permis- 
sion.” 

"Pooh! He never’ll mind. Besides, isn’t 


THE MYSTERY SOLVED. 


251 


Aunt Cornelia vicegerent? You know what 
that means, for we found out yesterday,” said 
Tom, laughing, and trying to turn the conversa- 
tion. Besides, if it’s any better, you may let 
it be your debt to me. And by and by — ” 

" By and by, when I get my money, I can pay 
my debt ? ” 

" Trust me not to let you forget it ! ” and 
Tom’s look into his cousin’s eyes was enough to 
complete the matter. 

" O Tom ! I haven’t felt so light-hearted for 
a long while. You see, I wrote, asking Harry’s 
permission to tell you, and it only came last 
night.” 

Here was the reason, then, why this child had 
kept her lips closed through all these weary 
days, that she might not expose the secret of 
another. And having told it, and relieved her 
mind, the two straightened the drooping bridles 
once more and cantered homeward again. 
Looking at their bright faces, you would hardly 
have imagined that the two had just completed 


252 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


arrangements for taking money away from them- 
selves to pay the debt of another, — to make up 
the deficiencies of a young scapegrace in New 
York. But such was indeed the case. And 
such people do exist on the earth, in spite of the 
many such maxims as, "Look out for number 
one ! ” " Take care of yourself, or nobody’ll take 
care of you ! ” etc. 

" Aunt Cornelia,” began Tom, hardly waiting 
to take off his riding gloves, " you know that 
five hundred dollars which Uncle Thomas gave 
me?” 

" Certainly ! ” wondering what next. 

"Well, I want that five hundred dollars, or 
whatever it may be, out of the savings-bank.” 

"What?” 

Mrs. Mather would not have been more as- 
tonished to be invited to rob the Bank of Eng- 
land to pay our own national debt. 

"I do ; and it’s something I can’t tell you all 
about now, because it’s not my secret. But it’s 
all right. I give you my word for it.” And 


THE MYSTERY SOLVED. 


253 


Tom fidgeted nervously with his hands, — an 
uncommon trick of manner with this boy, — all 
about the sofa on which he sat. Aunt Conielia 
had been reading Jeremy Taylor, and to be 
called off from his quaint sentences by a start- 
ling attack of this sort, was just the least bit in 
the world disturbing. There was silence in the 
room for a moment, broken only by the noisy 
chirping of the yellow canary in the window. 
Then Mrs. Mather spoke : — 

" Is it Helena ? ” 

” Why do you think of her ? ” 

Question and answer followed each other in- 
stantly. Tom sat thrusting his fingers down 
among the cushions of the hair-cloth sofa where 
he was sitting. 

"'Don’t tear the sofa to pieces.” 

"I won’t, m’am.” 

Tom had not counted on this opposition to his 
wishes. He did not know, as we do, the occur- 
rences of the last .few days. Therefore he was 
surprised at his aunt’s saying : — 


254 


SnORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


"My dear Tom, I suppose I must tell you 
that some circumstances, regarding Helena, 
have, during the last few weeks, come to light, 
which make me feel — ” 

" Halloo ! What’s this come to light ? ” 

Tom’s fingers came up from the seams of the 
cushions, bringing something which caused Mrs. 
Mather to spring up. 

" My thimble ! ” 

"The one you lost a while ago, isn’t it?” 
asked her nephew, coolly, not in the least com- 
prehending the consequences which the finding 
involved. Tom only looked amazed to see his 
aunt step quickly to Belle’s door,*speaking more 
excitedly than she was ever known to speak 
before. 

"Look here. Belle ! ” 

" Your thimble ! Oh, where did it come 
from?” 

" Tom just found it between the seat and back 
cushions of the hair-cloth sofa.” 

Helena was more astounded even than Tom 


“My thimble!” Page 254 






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THE MYSTERY SOLVED, 


255 


had been. For why Belle should fall to em- 
bracing her, instead of embracing Aunt Cor- 
nelia, or even the thimble, was a mystery. The 
truth was, that Helena had sold her mother’s 
thimble to Tenty. She had never known that 
the two thimbles were precisely alike ; and cer- 
tainly she had never suspected that she had 
been censured for any graver crime than the se- 
crecy of the selling. And it was not until long 
afterwards, that she understood the full dark- 
ness of the cloud which had hung over her head 
during those fearful days. 




CHAPTEK XIV. 

REUNION. 

ND thus the cloud lifted. 

As far as the matter of the thimble 
went, Helena’s character was, of 
course, cleared. Indeed, Aunt Cor- 
nelia herself was so humiliated to think that 
she should, even for one moment, have allowed a 
suspicion, that she was ready to concede every- 
thing. 

t- 

" But, Helena,” said Tom, — it was just after 
he had come out of Mrs. Mather’s room, and 
while Helena still stood in the hall in her ridins:- 

O 

habit, — ” hadn’t you better tell aunty all about 
it?” 



256 


REUNION. 


257 


” I would, Tom, only you know it’s Harold’s 
secret, and not my own ; ” and Helena looked 
down with a perplexed expression. 

She had grown very womanly during these 
last few weeks. And now, standing in her 
trailing garments, her eyes bright and cheeks 
flushed with exercise, she was a very pretty 
picture. 

• "Yes, but I’m nearly certain Aunt Cornelia 
would know some way out of this trouble. And 
I can’t help thinking you’ve a right to extend 
your permission to aunty,” said Tom, ear- 
nestly. 

There was a pause. Helena looked at her 
riding- whip, and Tom looked at Helena. Sud- 
denly the latter broke out : — 

" I will tell her, there ! I’ve had enough of 
secrecy ! I’ve felt for a month, like those Parir 
ahs we read about yesterday ; ” and Helena, 
without waiting for a second thought, ran off 
and shut the door of Mrs. Mather’s room, and 

flew to her old seat on the confessional in less 
17 


258 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


time than it takes me to tell it. How good it 
was to sit there again ! After all these last 
weeks, Helena could hardly feel that she was 
the same girl, — she was so much older, she 
thought. 

"My dear, I am sure I can help you,” said 
Aunt Cornelia, confidently, when Helena, sitting 
with both hands in hers, looking, straight up at 
her in her old way, had finished the story. ^ 

"I wouldn’t think of selling the fine jewels, 
or mind Tom’s money just yet. I will write to 
my brother Tom to-day, and we will see.” 

" Brother Tom ” was a prominent merchant in 
New York, just such a friend and adviser as 
Harold Seymour needed. He had it in his 
power to befriend the boy to some purpose. 
And so it was that, one week later, a letter to 
Helena,- from her brother, announced a sudden 
glow of sunshine let in upon his benighted af- 
fairs, in the person of Thomas Mather, Esq. 
Harold was placed in a position to earn some- 
tliing outside of his legal reading. Mr. Matlim* 


REUNION, 


259 


assumed his debts in a way which left the boy a 
self-respecting feeling, and, in addition to this, 
there suddenly appeared on the scenes an old 
debtor of Mr. Seymour’s, who had failed heavily 
a few years previous, and by whom the former 
had lost. This man, having become wealthy 
again, had come forward, and, with an honesty 
as rare as it was honorable, had canceled his 
old obligations. By this means, Harold and 
Helena found their portions nearly doubled, and 
Harold was quick on his feet again, considerably 
steadier for the lesson. 

'' ' The lamp of experience is the only lamp 
whereby my feet are guided,’” he wrote to his 
sister ; only sometimes it burns mighty dim.” 

"Oh, I’m so thankful when I think of it^” 
exclaimed Helena to Belle, as the two stood on 
the east piazza one frosty December morning. 

The pomp of autumn had passed away from 
the land. The wooded hill-sides, brilliant in scar- 
let and gold, the gray gables of Glencairn, and 
the dormer windows looking out from gorgeous 


200 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


festoons of crimson woodbine, — these were 
things of the past. 

'' Look there ! ” cried Bob. 

A shrill sound was floated down from high 
overhead, and gazing upward, as Bob pointed, 
the girls could just trace, aloft against the blue 
sky, the V-shaped phalanx, pointed southward,, 
of the wild goose, — the swift bird of the Cana- 
das, by its own fleree instinct, following after 
the summer heat. 

” How fast they fly ! ” said Bob. 

''And how grand it must be to see all the 
cities and towns, the mountains and lowlands, 
lying out below them ! ” said Helena, who en- 
joyed her poetical musings still. 

^"Seeing the wild geese reminds me of our 
evergreens. We saw them flying when we were 
at East Eock last year,” said Belle. 

" Sure as fate ! It is time for us to be up to 
that, isn’t it, Belgie ? ” 

The yearly excursion to Tattam Hill and East 
Eock was an established custom in the family. 


JIEUNION. 


2G1 


The afternoon, according to Bob’s suggestion, 
saw the party on their way. Flossy had begged 
to be taken, and her brothers had tucked her 
between them on the front seat. 

" See’t you keep the bairnie well happed up ! ” 
was Tenty’s final injuncti(^, as she brought out 
a last shawl, and stood on the verandah to see 
them off. 

In spite of her prognostications, and those 
of Nurse Cheney, Florence had suwived measles, 
and all their serious sequences. But Tenty had 
a feeling that the evil day was only postponed. 
Such signs and wonders could not come to 
naught, and though the child ate, drank, and 
acted very much like a human child, still Tenty 
maintained that they held her by a very fi||^ 
tenure, and confidently expected her to .||ip 
through her fingers at any time. 

How the echoes of Tattam Hill resounded 
that afternoon ! How the squirrels, red, black, 
gray, and striped, peered out from their hiding- 
places, and then chattered and gibbered to their 


262 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


young ones about the merry party who were 
thridding the mazes of the old green wood ! 

" Oh, what beautiful berries are these ! ” cried 
Helena in delight, and Flossy laughed merrily 
at the city breeding which failed to recognize 
bitter-sweet. And th^n she explained : — 

"These long needles are the pines, and the 
round stalks are the spruce, and the low leaves 
with sharp saw-teeth are prince ’s-pine.” 

"Wait, now! Let me tell them^ over,” said 
Helena, standing beside her enraptured little 
teacher. 

Half an hour before sunset they all collected 
upon the summit of East Eock. 

" How cold the sky looks ! ” and Belle gazed 
ou^ from among the dark-green, lustrous leaves 
of kalmia with which her hands were filled. 

"Yes, the winter is coming,” answered 
Helena, with a half sigh. That sigh was for 
the sad, sorrowing days of last winter, a glimpse 
of which flashed back to her, as she stood on the 
brink of the rock, a long spray of bitter-sweet 


REUNION, 


263 


trailing its gorgeous, golden berries down over 
her black dress. 

As you stood upon East Eock, you looked 
down a precipice, sheer two hundred feet, and 
at the foot lay stretched out miles and miles of 
dense, dark woodland. 

"That’s the real, primeval forest down there, 
too,” said Tom. He was sitting with Flossy 
carefully "happed up ’’between his knees, and 
she, for her part, was tickling Hector’s black 
nose with a bit of running pine. Bob was lying 
on the rock, hands clasped under his head, 
watching the swimming circles of a large gray ^ 
hawk. 

"Do you mean that those trees have never 
been cut down ? ” 

"No, Belgie, not since white folks have 
known anything about them. Why, it’s a per- 
fect jungle in there. It’s not more than three or 
four years since Colonel Blanchard, out hunting, 
got lost there.” 

"Eeally ! Why, he has lived here always.” 


264 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


” I know it. But the whole town had to turn 
out with torches and guns, and dogs and men, 
to look him up.’’ 

” Isn’t there a marsh in there, somewhere?” 

” Yes. Where the azalia grows in the spring, 
and the pitcher-plant.” 

Helena had occasion to remember this con- 
versation the next spring, when Tom brought 
her a branch of the lovely, rose-colored, fra- 
grant azalia flowers. She remembered it, and 
knew that he had taken an all -day’s tramp, 
through marsh and mud, to reach that green, 
moist everglade where the blossoms grew. 

There was silence fi^ow, while all watched the 
sun near the dark ridge of pines, whose sharp 
points against the sky Tom had christened '' The 
Cathedral.” He wrapped his little sister closer 
still, and her head dropped wearily on his 
shoulder. There had seemed to be a new bond 
of fondness between these two, since the illness 
of last summer. A hush, and some one said 
again : — 


REUNION, 


265 


” Yes, the summer is gone, and the autumn.” 

And then, I don’t know how, — I doubt if 
any one of the five could have told, — the talk 
took a serious turn. I think it was something 
in the gold and purple splendor of the piled-up 
clouds, like the domes of a great city. 

''It looks,” said Belle, "as I fancy the Ce- 
lestial City looked to Bunyan’s pilgrims after 
they had crossed the river, and the shining 
ones helped them up the steep ascent. ” 

"Yes,” chimed in Tom, earnestly; "and 
when they heard the bells ring out, — all the 
bells of the city,” — he repeated, lower. 
" That always took me off my feet !. The notion 
of those bells ringing out on the air. Just to 
fancy that poor old tinker, in Bedford jail, 
getting the ladder up to heaven through those 
damp prison walls ! ” 

It was something in the hour, the stillness, 
and the hastening sun, I suppose, that brought 
them to speak out all those thoughts, — thoughts 
such as all bright boys and girls have, but which 


266 


SHORT-COMINGS AND LONG-GOINGS, 


they do not always grow near enough together 
to speak. 

" I think we shall all hear them ring some 
day,” said Belle, softly. 

”And it’ll be such a little while, — such a 
very little while,” spoke Helena ; and her face, 
as she looked up, seemed almost transfigured in 
the golden glow. 

“ O Sion, the golden, 

My eyes still are holden, 

Thy light till I see : 

And deep in thy glory. 

Unveiled there before me. 

My King, look on thee ! ” 

repeated Belle. 

And then the sun dropped down behind the 
cathedral spires, and a star or two came out 
high overhead; and in the golden after-glow, 
and in the early starlight, they drove quietly 
homeward. I don’t think they ever forgot that 
sunset on East Kock, or that drive home through 
the gloaming. 


REUNION. 


267 


Aunt Cornelia was waiting for them, and 
Tenty took the half-asleep Flossy from Tom’s 
arms. The rest came in, half enveloped in their 
shining evergreens. 

'' Birnam wood to Dunsiuane ! ” said Bob, as 
he threw down a load of laurel upon the library- 
floor. 

And thus ended the autumn at Glencairn. 
And thus ends my story. I will only ask my 
readers to give them one more call with me 
upon Christmas eve. 

Fires are burning in the grates, and lights in 
all the rooms, up stairs and down. A great 
dinner is ready in the kitchen, and Dinah pre- 
sides there in her gayest turban. Tenty fidgets 
back and forth from kitchen to dining-room, and 
from dining-room to kitchen again, followed ^y 
the expectant cat. Aunty and the three girls are . 
arrayed, as Bob said, before starting for the 
station, in "their pontificals.” Ever and anon 
Florence runs and flattens her small nose on the 


268 


SnOET-COMINOS AND LONG-GOINGS. 


hall- window lights, and, for her pains, sees a 
world of blackness outside. 

” There, I heard wheels!” exclaims Belle; 
and Flossy is off again. 

This disappointment is repeated several times. 
But when they come, at last, nothing is heard 
until the wheels are crunching the gravel, and 
Hector is barking insanely just under the parlor 
windows. Then the hall doors are flung wide, 
and Flossy is caught under the wrappings of a 
sweet, pale-faced woman. Belle stands on the 
lower stair to kiss a tall, gray-bearded man; 
while an older, broader Bob embraces aunty. 
Helena is just starting to run off and have a 
little weep ” all to herself, as nobody will miss 
her, when she feels her arms pinioned, and her 
eyes blindfolded from behind, and one, two, 
three, kisses on her cheek before she could 
^ay : — 

”Why, Harry dear, where did you come 
from?” 

And there they all were.! , I' don’t need to 


ItE UNION. 


269 


tell you that it was sweet Mrs. Farley’s plan to 
bring Harold Seymour, as a sort of Christmas 
gift, to his waiting sister. And I need not tell 
you that she needed no other reward than the 
grateful look in those loving, sisterly eyes. 

And thus, sitting about that bright Christmas 
table, let us bid them good-night, wishing 
many a merry Christmas and many a glad New 
Year to the boys and girls of Glencairn. 







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